The language of hope

translated by Saba Vasefi

I close my eyes,

Releasing countless butterflies—

They are my aspirations.

Finding a home within my chest,

Not landless, not displaced,

Not tortured, not blistered,

But sheltered in the warmth of my dreams.

Here they flutter on a serene breeze

They carry whispers of hope,

in the sanctuary of my soul,

Smooth as a cool river.

A safe place where humanity is cherished,

Free from the terror

And hate of distant shores.

My dreams are my assets,

Assert themselves—

Remaining, always, for me.

I care for their wings,

Since my father was beheaded

Before my eyes by Al-Shabaab,

Since my young body was immolated

In the custody of Australia.

Cruelty is universal,

But I choose to lullaby

In the language of hope,

The language of care

For all caterpillars

Who grow up

In the web of spiders,

With no other way to resist

Except with their flesh in fire.