Deafening Silence Poem by Stella Sisanda Qishi

Father,
Why did you rob me of my innocence?
Look at the shards of mine you left behind
Why did you make me a thing to take away
Your frustrations of your longest days?
Yesterday I was that tiny sweet child you held in your arms,
Your arms have turned me into someone
I never thought I could see with a naked eye

Sister,
Why didn’t you catch me
When the worldly troubles dangled me?
When they swayed me carelessly like a bird with one wing.
Why did you turn a blind eye on something so imperative?
The bond of sisterhood doesn’t exist here anymore.
Why did you fold your arms and watched from the sidelines
While they worked on a mission
To destroy my innocent spirit.

Brother,
How did this world steal away your conscience?
What made you lead me to a blind alley?
You, too, made me a thing to fill the gaps and boost
Your shattered confidence.
Why did you drug me and leave me hallucinating
And sold my body for a living?

And Mother,
Why didn’t you protect me
When they dandled me like an hourglass?
Why did you turn a deaf ear when I needed you to listen?
I no longer feel your motherly love.
It seems we’ve drifted apart
Now this beautiful butterfly can’t set its eyes in the world
And dare to dream.

They claim they never heard me screaming in my bedroom
No one opened the door for me to freedom
Now I’ll always wonder
What if I’m not the only one?