A poem by Parwana Amiri
Parwana Amiri is an author, poet and activist from Afghanistan who is living in Greece since September 2019. Her poetry may seem softly written, but it contains hidden stories and bitter truths. With her work, she challenges the power of art and poetry to convey these bitter truths of the times. This poem focuses on fire, which has been a strong reason for vulnerability for a long time in all refugee camps, especially those in Greece. It tells the story of refugees after the fire attack in Moria and their conditions after the fire. We have been burning in this fire silently for a long time, but we want to end it, by standing together, asking for freedom.
Illustration by Joana Maria Neves.
“In this illustration I wanted to focus on the warm and coziness the fire brings. It’s already such a chaotic world that I wanted to remember some peace of mind.”
A fire
It does not only burn into ashes
It does not only destroy
It does not only kill
A fire….
It can make light to see
It can guide in the darkness
It can warm in the cold
A fire….
A candle needs the fire
A meal needs the fire
To start up, to turn on, to show out
But we don’t need the fire
We have been burning a long time
We don’t need the fire
We don’t hold a candle in our night
In this fire….
We lost our hopes
We lost our tents, our new homes
Here in this host country, in its camps
As we did in our country that we fled
In this fire….
In Moria, in Samos, in Chios
In Refugee camps around Greece
We have been burning silently
Subjugated, without dignity
In this fire….
Tens of us have burned
Changed to bundles of coal
No raised voices, no closed fists
Silence has never been a solution
After this fire….
We can find, we can move
We can want, we can raise
our heads, our fists and our voice
Asking for “freedom of movement”