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I Am Afra (Song of her Freedom)
I see a bird through the window
Her reflection looks at me now
She sits in her cage and wonders
Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How?
Other birds would soar very high and
all she does is only cry
Lost at sea, she monologises
'Who am I?'
The thoughts in her mind were like sand
golden and brown, like the seashore
But the waves dragged all the sand back
Smothering her thoughts to the core
But this time, her thoughts turn into a voice,
"Afra, we've grown apart
Who are you, Afra?
Tell this voice inside your heart."
Who am I?
There is no such voice inside me
But the voice speaks back to me,
"Yes, there is.
We had a deep connection like the ocean
You gave me part of your smiles
You gave me part of your tears but now,
You joke off...
the vast distance you have with me
But, I came back to say
Don't be in a gilded cage. Find who you are.
Take our breath away..."
Tempted to find who I am by this voice, I'm going to wake up
from this nightmare
I'll change my thoughts to powerful words
I'll break through the window untrapped, flying to my dreams
Let my words be heard
and admired
I am Afra
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This article has 2 comments.
Heavily inspired by 'I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)'
Today is my 17th Birthday and that is why I wanted to submit this piece today. This piece means a lot to me because like the bird in the piece I was once trapped in a cage due to thinking about others' views regarding me and my life. But eventually, I realised that this is my life and I was who I was.
As teenagers, we gradually discover/develop our identity. I am still discovering mine and just like the bird in this piece, the voice inside me made me fly away from others' opinions in my life and find out who I am. I am who I am; I am me! For now, let's just say that I am Afra, an ordinary (but different) girl and the future holds the rest.