Her Country; Her Words

An entry in the United Nation’s Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)’s Poetry for Peace Contest in the fall of 2011, from Sajia Alaha Ahrar, a young female Afghan poet and activist studying then in the U.S.—the longing in her voice resonating across a decade and especially into the events of these past few weeks, of yesterday’s particular losses, of next week’s final withdrawal:
 

آرزوی صلح در جهان

آرزو دارم که دایـم صلح باشـد در جـهان

با لب پرخنده بینم هر طرف طفل و جوان

آرزو دارم به انـسان زندگی ای با هـمی

فرق رنگ و ملت و لسان نباشد در میان

آرزو دارم نگــردند طـفـلکان بیشتر یتیم

تا نمانند بیـسواد و شاقه کار از بهـر نان

آرزو دارم که آیـــد عـاطــفه بر هـــر دلـی

تا همه نسل بشرباشند بهم یک جسم و جان

آرزو دارد (الـهه)  مـیهنـش گـردد صـــفـا

جنگ منفوراست بهر جا صلح باشدهرزمان

با احترام،

سجیه الهه (احرار)

Hope/desire for world peace

Wishing there is lasting world peace,

I wish to see young and old, Lips full of smile

Wishing to live together as humans,

Where there is no difference of color, nation and language.

Wishing no more children become orphans,

Where for a piece of bread, they suffer illiteracy and hard child labor.

Wishing sympathy comes to every heart,

So humanity is one body and soul.

“Alaha” wishes for a renewed land,

Where war is despised when there is peace

war is cussed! I desire for a lasting world peace.