Walk In My Shoes (2004) - Alwyn Evans
(Teacher resources HERE!)
Am I free?
~~~~~~
I can't see Dad's face any more
Self-conscious
I know too much about trauma
New Australian camp worlds are strange
~~~~~
It's not Afghanistan of my childhood
And I'm still a child
To a point
(I sew my own doll's clothes
But I've been connecting with Abdul
For a while now)
~~~~
Do I need Afghanistan?
From a strange world view
Perhaps Afghanistan needs me
To make a difference
~~
Am I free?
I'm working on it
GOOD READS REVIEW
Walk in My Shoes by Alwyn EvansMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nessa's Afghanistan was a tortured world, a world living the fear of The Terror. And the fear stays alive in her mind, even when her family ventures to the Australian unknown, seeking some kind of freedom and life. Like some ugly Medusa, old realities become nightmares, recurring in jagged, disjointed fragments. But the land of "red dirt and blue sky" heals the thirsting spirit - slowly.
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3 comments:
This looks like an interesting life story, Gemma. I like the poem, especially "I'm working on it." Freedom must be learned after oppression.
You've given us much to ponder Gemma... freedom for one who has known only oppression is word of puzzlement and possibility.
Your poetry shares so much of the story you review. What a challenge to have lived that life. What an amazing way you've shared it.
http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2013/01/14/in-three/
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