Tapestry Of Stars: Weaving The Thread Of
Future Under The Night Sky Across The Border
“ Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming
ownership of that freed self was another.”
-Toni Morrison
Preface: The is a tale of a girl named
Zahra who amidst the uncertainties of migration and chaos of war emerges as a
beacon of strength and resilience. She embarks on the journey and leaves behind
the familiar landscape she used to call home. She refuses to be defined by the
challenges she faces on this arduous journey. Alone in the foreign land, she
befriends the stars and recites her long struggle for finding a place where she
can embrace an opportunity for growth and self-discovery to them.
Under the night sky, the stars do not shine
the same way as they did back home, Zahra wondered. She can feel the cold
breeze touching her face. Last 5 years flashed before her tired eyes. The
violence, the crowd, the chaos, all are still fresh in her head. It is as if it
happened yesterday. It is as if it is happening now. She looks at her rough and
dirty hands and takes out the money she received after doing the day labour.
The money is not enough to keep her full for even a day. She closes her eyes and
speaks her heart out.
You shimmer so bright,
Please listen to my plight,
In this stillness of night,
Beneath the soft glow of moonlight.
Deep valleys and the mountains high,
I see you, shining bright in the sky,
Left my land and found the shore unknown,
They burned the trees with the seeds I had
sown.
In the chaos of strife,
Shadows threaten life,
Yet in this darkness,
I tried to find my might.
Flash of the devil
And my head hit the stone,
Dark was capturing everything I had
And then something hit my bone
I'm a victim of war,
An agent of change,
A life of a creator,
Bottled up in my veins,I nurture a rage.
I won the trials of the battles I lost,
Still they assume, What must have been the
cost?
Hid in the shadows and I did not even tried
to speak
Oh god! How did I become so weak?
Desperate cries, angry face and the lights
so dim
How come no one heard my screams?
Machiavellian eyes and the evil evil smile
Harsh voices, please treat me like a child.
But in this unknown land,
my dreams take a swift flight,
Journey of a migrant women,
I'll shine bright in this gloomy night.
Zahra stopped speaking and started to feel
a weight on her shoulders and a strange sensation in her chest. A lump formed
in her throat and her cheeks started to feel a tension. And then suddenly she
realised what was happening. She was crying. She hadn't realised that all these
feelings had been bottled up inside her. And with her weary limbs and light
heart she surrendered to her exhaustion and dreamed of shining brighter than
the brightest of stars.
Just like Zahra there are millions of women
whose stories of resilience and courage remain untold and unheard. They face a
challenge when there is a change in family dynamics because of migration and
often sacrificing their personal aspirations.They migrate in the hope of
finding a safer place for themselves but have to cross many hurdles and even
lose their identity in the process. They are affected by various forms of
violence, exploitation and trafficking. Language barrier becomes one of the
most difficult hassel. Another challenge is access to maternal and reproductive
health care. Separation from their community and family, experience of
violence, migration journey affects their mental health and result in greater
problems such as trauma. Their resilience, courage and determination deserves
recognition and respect. We might force a woman to flee her home but it cannot
make her lose all her determination and courage to live and create a better
future for herself. We cannot distinguish the flame of home that burns within
her.
-
Rakhi
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