Promise Me

that you will put me in a gun
and shoot my loneliness from me
when I turn into a bullet

throw me into a river
so my swimming body can feel
its infinite freedom
when I turn into a leaf

sing me
at the top of your lungs
so the silence of my room
shatters,
after I turn into a song

light me up
till the darkness
around me melts
when I turn into a candle

trust the tale
of my tears
if I turn into a cloud
and migrate across the borders

feel me
and my battered skin
if once upon a time
I turn into you

About the Poem

Her work seeks to define identity and confront issues of equal gender representation and violence in male-dominant communities. In Iraqi Kurdistan that wants to give an image of stability and tolerance, in the past few months, there has been an increase in femicides compared to previous years. This poem wants to address the violence and discrimination that Kurdish women face in Iraqi Kurdistan.

About the Author

Sarwa has worked with an activist community doing humanitarian work with women. Her work seeks to define identity and confront issues of equal gender representation and violence in male-dominant communities.

2 thoughts on “Promise Me”

    1. Thanks for your encouraging words Claire. Appreciate your care 🙂
      FYI: (for all readers) there is a typo in About the poem section. They should have put femicide instead of feminise

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