This week’s #writeme30 photo is from Arefa Hassani, a young Afghani woman who I met a few years ago in the Riverland.
I’d heard Arefa’s name mentioned long before I met her, through various youth networks I was a part of, as someone who had a lot to say and was worth listening to. From the moment I finally met Arefa in person, I was struck by her energy, enthusiasm and the deep courage to advocate wholeheartedly that spilled from her. Like many who’ve come to Australian shores in difficult circumstances, Arefa’s own story resonates with hope, loss and a deep awareness of both the frailty and preciousness of life. She is definitely one to watch.
You can read some of her words on ABC Open here and also on the Welcome to Australia blog here.
The photo Arefa has given me for #writeme30, in Arefa’s words is of “Mummy’s wrinkly old hands”.
The Photo:
Photo supplied by: Arefa Hassani
The Response – Untitled:
Paper stripped
From leaves, fallen
Left behind.
Forgotten flakes
To tide you over
To bend knuckles
And sighs, into new dreams
Old dreams
Left over particles of love, felt,
Remembered.
*I plan to come back to this response and expand it, but something about its current length sits nicely with me today so I’ve decided to leave it as it is for #writeme30 publication.
creating art in the desert 