Malala
She was dangerous.
She threatened them.
She would have put an end to them
And their beliefs.
They had no choice.
She threatened them.
She would have put an end to them
And their beliefs.
They had no choice.
She was dangerous.
Her eyes were big,
Her ears alert,
Her mouth and mind unstoppable.
They had no choice.
Her ears alert,
Her mouth and mind unstoppable.
They had no choice.
She was dangerous.
There was only one thing to do.
They covered their faces.
They boarded the bus.
They fired a bullet into her head.
What choice did they have?
She was dangerous.
She was fourteen.
She was a girl.
She insisted on going to school.
I don’t usually write political poetry, but this week’s news was so upsetting, I had to write about it. The Taliban understands exactly what will happen if girls go to school. They will become stronger voices and stronger forces in their societies.
For more information about Malala Yousafzai and the plight of girls all over the world, please see Nicholas Kristof’s editorial, “Her ‘Crime’ Was Loving Schools.”
For more Poetry Friday go to Teaching Young Writers.
(c) 2012 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved
She’s been a very influential young woman toour poets today, as well as the women of the world…powerful poem, Liz.
Wow…I love the spare power of your poem, Liz. I posted about Malala today, too. What an extraordinary young lady.
Thanks for this post, Liz. Your poem is powerful. I can hear a girl’s voice speaking these lines. I’ve been watching the PBS documentary “Half the Sky.” We have to make the world safe for girls.
Oh yes they do! Too bad for them they do not understand the power of girls – unstoppable in spite of their bullets. Thank you for posting this.
She has been on my mind…thanks for sharing how deeply Malala has touched you.
What a brave girl and a strong poem to honor her.
Powerful poem that matches this strong, brave, young woman.Thank you for writing this.
I missed seeing this last week – thank you for condensing these thoughts into such a strong poem.