Birth of a Girl Among desert-roaming nomads one evening the downcast sickly-yellow Sun collected her wares, gathered her skirts and hurried towards the dark The tent was black, the woman in pain, her soul on fire, consumed, yet cold Once more, it’s a girl—What an end to nine months of fear and hope Not a gunshot to announce good news Nor a torch to grace the space The midwife—not rewarded— cast a shadow on her face I was that unwanted girl the disgrace of the tribe For my ancestor, the chief, a girl was cause for shame An infant boy, though headless, was better than—God forbid—a girl Ashamed of my creation I was a woman lost with bleeding heart Nine months of fear and hope ended Pain and sorrow increased two-fold Not welcomed (head covered in black) Mother was shamed for her birth I first learned inferiority from beings and being and life Merchandise I was—for exchange— a loser in the bargain—woman
فاطمه اختر تولد یک دختر در خیل کوچیان بیابان گرد یک شامگاه زار و نزار و زرد خورشید با شتاب بساطش بست دامان کشید و سوی سیاهی جست غژدی سیاه بود و زنی از درد آتش به جان و خسته و اما سرد: این باز هم پسر نه، که دختر شد نُه مه امید و بیم چو آخر شد نه یک شلیک خوشخبری برخواست نه مشعلی به نور فضا آراست هم ناگرفته مژده ی خود دایه با دست خود فکنده به رو سایه آن دختری نخواسته من بودم قدر قبیله کاسته من بودم جدم رییس ایل و تبارش بود دختر به خانه منشه ی عارش بود نوزاد اگر پسر و که بی سر بود به گر - خدانخواسته - دختر بود از خلقتم خجل شده من بودم مبهوت و خون به دل شده زن بودم درد و فسردگی دوبرابر شد نُه مه امید و بیم چو آخر شد خوش آمدش نگفت (سیه سر شد) از زادنش خجل شده مادر شد آموختم نخست فرو دستی از کائینات و بودن و از هستی جنسی به یک مبادله من بودم بازنده در معامله زن بودم
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Fatema Akhtar was born in Herat, Afghanistan, and has lived in Canada for the last 34 years with her 3 daughters. Fatema studied law at Kabul University and was a Prosecutor for 8 years. She has published 4 books of poetry and is currently working on a collection of her work from the last 20 years.
Bänoo Zan is a poet, librettist, translator, teacher, editor and poetry curator, with more than 250 published poems and poetry-related pieces as well as three books including Songs of Exile and Letters to My Father. She is the founder of Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), Canada’s most diverse poetry reading and open mic series (inception: 2012), a brave space that bridges the gap between communities of poets from different ethnicities, nationalities, religions (or lack thereof), ages, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, poetic styles, voices and visions. Bänoo is the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Alberta, Canada, Sept 2022-May 2023.
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