Photograph courtesy of Umar Ibn Hussain

More than the black eyes and nights spent afraid
More than the marks on her skin that you laid
More than the bruises you told her to hide
More than the illogical rules you forced her to abide
The most cruel thing you did was to language deny
Crippling for life her ability to get by

Unable to articulate to the people around her
You sought that path to keep control of her
But her spirit too strong and too courageous she fled
With your offsprings but no words to ask for a bed
Your denial tore your children’s innocence into strips
To bridge the barrier you created on their mother’s lips

At the twilight of her youth she struggles to understand
The vernacular to strengthen her independence and
Despite her outstretched palms during lamp lit nights
She must rely on her children to translate her plights
However much this distresses her, she has no choice
Because while she was young you took away her voice

More than the scars you caused that fade over time
More than the mental torment created by your crime
More than the emotional turmoil she long suffered
More than the violence you made her keep covered
The most cruel thing you did was obstructing
her learning the language of the world she lives in

Cut from a society whose language she’s never mastered
Congratulations on marking her permanently you…