Mother, Homeland of Hope
By Freshta Mohammadi
In the heart of darkened nights, my mother became my hope.
With a gaze both warm and radiant, she stood as the sun.
In her heart, our homeland sang a tale of light,
of new paths yet not begun.
My land bears wounds from axes carved with lies and stealth,
yet my mother softly tells me, “A strange bright dawn will come.”
Though the soil is dry and cracked, my land hides a story still,
even within the ruined depths, hope will not succumb.
In my mother’s eyes, like cypress trees, each broken
dream stands tall again.
For her smile, I swear an oath — our broken home will rise anew,
with her silent, sacred prayers, even ruins will flower and bloom.
Freshta Mohammadi is a 22-year-old Afghan woman living in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.
Her journey with poetry and writing started after she graduated from school.
For her, poetry is not just a combination of words, but a way to express the emotions, pain, and hope she carries in her heart.
The themes she’s most passionate about include the silent struggles of girls in her country, hope, self-belief, and standing strong in the face of hardship. Through poetry, she wants to be a voice for those who are unheard. She believes that even the simplest words can light a spark in someone’s heart.
