Tag Archive | equality

Is this peace?


The dust has settled

The missiles have been silenced

People are going back to work

But is there peace?

Peace is not the absence of war

Peace is serenity in people’s hearts

Peace is justice in the land 

Peace is love for your fellow man

I pray for the day when won’t need spies

I pray for the day when negotiations will solve the problems that arise

I pray for the day of equality

When demonstrators won’t have to die in the streets

Peace is not the absence of war

Peace is love in our hearts 

June 25, 2025

News from Iran

I draw

I listen to the news about Iran in Persian

I cook

I listen to the news from Iran

These scenes were unimaginable ten years ago

Even five years ago

My contact with my Persian classmates 

Has opened my world to news from them

And news from my land of birth

The news is heart breaking most of the time 

Countries being bombed

People getting injured and dying 

I hope that when the dust has settled

There will be freedom in Iran

There will be equality in Iran

There will be justice in Iran

I draw

I listen to the news about Iran

My heart is with the people of Iran

June 24, 2025

Resistance

You insist on taking our rights away

Our right to wear what we want

Our right to dance in public 

Our right to voice our opinions without fear of reprisal

Our right to be the voice of other women 

Our right to be free

And yet we resist

There is no truing back

You lash out with the hijab police

We continue to walk without our headscarves

You imprison those who speak out

They continue their work in prison and win awards

You pass laws to increase the restrictions on us

We continue to do what we want

Women’s resistance may be quieter than that of men

But women are strong 

They don’t back down

Even if they are not demonstrating in the streets

They are still furthering their cause

And if you ask me 

Women will win this fight

Nov. 21, 2023

A woman’s voice

 

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A meeting is in progress over Zoom

University professors and administrators at work

I hear the confident voice of a woman 

Who seems to be chairing the meeting

The cadence of her voice 

It’s tone

The words she uses

All tell of her competence

And her assurance that she is being heard

Because she has ideas that are important to share

I hear men’s voices too 

But hers is dominant

They are obviously solving problems and making plans

How wonderful to see women in science

In the highest echelons 

Voicing their opinions

Leading the charge

This is how it should be in all areas

This is the sign of things to come

June 21st, 2023

The answer is no!

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You want me to cover my hair

I say no!

You say it’s the sign of piety

I say no!

You say it will protect me from harm

I say no!

You say otherwise I’ll excite men

I say no!

You can’t convince me to do something I don’t want to do

You don’t realize how strong I am

You have tried to put me down

But each time, you see me rise 

You fear me and my courage 

You should!

I am determined and won’t back down 

I will continue this fight 

I see you are worried and

You should be! 

Women, life, liberty!

March 2023 

Let us breathe

 

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What we want is an ordinary life

We don’t ask for much

Just allow us to wear what we want

What’s the harm in that?

Just allow us to speak freely

What are you afraid of?

Just allow us these normal things

Safety in the streets

Practicing our religion

Equality regardless of ethnicity

Just treat women like you treat men

This is the 21st century

The old ways of looking at the world do not work

Old rules and laws do not suit our society 

What we ask for are simple things 

Just let us breathe!

February 25th, 2023

They persist

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I look and listen from a distance

And see a nation in turmoil and pain

People asking for justice and equality

Asking for a normal and acceptable quality of life

But change does not come easily

There is always resistance and pushback

Nevertheless the clock cannot be turned back

People are no longer content with the status quo

They continue to speak up 

Despite the crackdowns

Despite the threats

Despite the imprisonments

And despite the executions

I admire the strength and courage 

Of my countrymen and women

I worry for their safety and security

And I look forward to the day 

When their sacrifices will have paid off

And peace and security and equality prevails

January 6th, 2023

For the courageous people of Iran

Lionesses

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You say I should cover my hair and body 

So I don’t  tempt men

I say men should be and are stronger than that

You say the headscarf is a sign of modesty

I say it’s a means of control 

You say dancing excites the other sex

I say dancing brings joy into my life

You say women’s singing voice shouldn’t be heard

I say you are depriving society of so much

You say women are the weaker sex

And they need protection

I say you haven’t seen what we are capable of

You say the place of women is at home

I say society needs our contribution 

You hit, and arrest and try to torture women into submission

I say this cruelty is much worse than what you consider immodesty 

You do these things in the name of religion

I say religion is for peace

You fear women it seems

And you should because women are strong and courageous

And will fight for their equality like lionesses till they achieve their goal

October 17th, 2022

Hear me roar

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I am woman, hear me roar
Hear me cry out with the pent of anger of years
Hear me shout the anthem of freedom
Hear me voice my grievances
It’s been long enough
And I’m tired of being told who I should be

I am woman, hear me roar
With the courage of a lioness
Prepared to fight for her home
Prepared to protect her kin
With fervour and ferocity

I am woman, hear me roar
Don’t expect me to be quiet any longer
Don’t try to control me because it does not work
A sense of justice has been awakened with in me
Which can set fire to injustice and brutality

I am woman, hear me roar
I am stronger than you think
When I want to defend my rights
I am an opponent you should fear

I am a woman hear me roar:
Woman, life, liberty!

October 15th, 2022

Every woman

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She was every woman 

She could be me 

She could be you 

She was not political 

She was a visitor, a guest 

Is that how one treats a guest?

Is that how one treats a sister or a mother?

She was every woman 

And she was killed senselessly 

She was killed in a most cruel manner 

She was killed with a lot of anger 

Why?

Because she was a woman

And did not closely follow the unreasonable dictates of the regime 

She was every woman 

And she was killed brutally 

She awakened again the anger that was smouldering for years

She brought them into the streets

Demanding freedom, equality, a normal life

And a future they could look forward to 

She was every woman

And she will be remembered in history 

As one whose death started a revolution

October 13, 2022