Student Poets: Rkiya Bouya

This is the second in a series (previous) of poems by students of mine from Morocco. Rkiya (photo forthcoming) is an attractive, intelligent young woman, who admits she's "angry all the time, but acts happy anyway". This poem contrasts sharply with her second one, which will come later in the series. This was written originally in English for my class, and includes language devices, rhythms, and emotional expressions that gainsay her second-language status. One of my readers reacted to the first poem by admitting that she didn't think Arab women were capable of expressing themselves so deeply and freely. These writers have a lot to teach us.

My Rights

I dislike this life day after day
Because I don’t find any way
I’m a flower who is planted in desert
It wants to grow beside a river
* * *
I dislike this life month after month
Because I haven’t any simple Right
The answer to my questions is always bequiet
I abhor this obscurity; I adore the light
* * *
I dislike this life year after year
In my heart there is a huge fire
A fire that declares a great war
On each one who touches my rights, near or far