the art of healing

afghanistan.

there are pomegranate seeds in her hair
and her blood runs black and red and green
but it is only the red that stains the streets
she is crying, crying, crying

her skin is made of paper, her bones bamboo,
her nails ground glass. she scratches her skin,
slashing through prayers written in farsi,
rivulets of crimson drenching her arms

she is a broken warrior,
the epitome of shattered beauty,
but her dark eyes begin to shine
twin stars in fading darkness

she is healing, mending, hoping
and always she remains an echo
that resonates within all her children
her name is afghanistan, and she will redeem you

this poem was written for a school assignment and was inspired by the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, a novel I highly recommend. however, there is potentially triggering material in it. i don't want to spoil those parts of the novel for everyone, so if anyone has any questions regarding trigger warnings, please feel free to message me.

notes:
1. pomegranates are grown in afghanistan, and a pomegranate tree is an important object in the novel.
2. black, red, and green are the colors of Afghanistan's flag.
3. paper, bamboo, and ground glass are used to make kites, which are important symbols.
4. farsi is the language spoken in the novel.