Please Listen To Me Poem by Sarrah Murtaza

Please listen to me
It is me, the girl child.
I am not a curse
Don't cry when you give birth to me
Instead hold your head high.

I can be a pride to you
If you let me be
I am no different than my brothers
I may not have strong arms like them
But my will and my heart is strong

Please let me go to school
Let me learn to read and write
Don't set reigns on my feet
The world is beckoning to me…
I am not destined to the kitchen only.

Do you see that horizon in the sky?
I can be there if I choose to be.
A Teacher, Doctor or An engineer
You name it
I can make a difference if you let me.

Don't marry me off to that toothless old man
He is old enough to be my grandfather
I know money is scarce but still..
Don't clip my wings
I know I can soar high in the sky.

Please listen to me
Do you hear the voice of crying?
It is of those hundreds of girl child's
Battered by our men who are supposedly
our fathers, brothers, husbands or sons

Please open your eyes
I am living this life as much as you are
Don't discriminate against me
I am no less than you are
I hold my head high - Yes I am the Girl Child!