Afghanistan | Maryam Talibi | 2025

Blank 20

Unopened, unburned –these books were not meant to burn
Dusted deep beneath a tower of dread,
A labyrinth of pages, twisted astern,
Ashes clinging where the fire once fled
These books were not meant to be burned

Germany | Zoё Matt-Williams | 2018

»Other«

Hot summer day. Noon.
The trees are sweating
when my friend tells me
he wants to leave England
because no other country on earth
hates the “other“ as much.

Scotland | Sarah Moles Lyall | 2019

Walls

In Berlin I discover borders
overcome, overturned, undermined.
As the ’89 woodpeckers knew,
walls cannot last forever
when people strive to be together.

Brazil | Danielly Guzzo De Arauja | 2019

Flower of Tragedy

Life awakes
A small flower is born
Colourless, but it is a flower
The first life that arises there
It is fragile and sad

Nigeria | Glory Osazuwa | 2019

Silent Tears

Each day as evening starts to set
The ache builds in my chest
I know that I must go to bed
And try to get some rest

I hug my tear-stained pillow close
When no one is around

Nigeria | Glory Osazuwa | 2019

Night Time

Night is cold
Night is sad for some
Night is so dark
Night comes and goes
Like my love for you

Somalia | Abdikarim Mohamed Ali | 2019

Motivation

You are responsible for yourself
Whether you laugh or cry

No one can know what you feel
When you are happy or sad

Ghana | Lydia Afriyie-Kraff | 2019

If I Were a Bird

If I were a bird
I could fly home now
And then
What would I do there
Nothing

Nigeria | Queen Ufomba | 2018

Future without War

In future we will no longer have to fight,
because the people before us have already fought so much.
In future things will be better than in the past.

United Kingdom | Lara Williams | 2018

Abandoned Port

The woman on the matted blanket examines me closely
I blush under her gaze
Why does my skin have to be so damned white?

Germany | Zoё Matt-Williams | 2018

Familiar Stranger

blurry, half-sleep thoughts of a plane landing
and the scream of rubber on hot cement
streetsides lined in towering McDonalds signs
and my grandmother, ant-like between them

Germany | Zoё Matt-Williams | 2018

Checkerboard Kitchen Tiles

I grew up in a hallway that scratched my feet
but went on and on forever,
and a kitchen filled with warm light and Rothko prints
and checkerboard tiles
and fruit flies.

Spenden!