By Savannah Powell
12th grade, Herriman High School, UT
With lines from “‘Look After My Babies’: in Ethiopia, a Tigray Families Quest” by Cara Anna and Nariman El-Mofty
When blood of Tigrayan red became a crime,
We learned to paint our faces
Our children are re-taught to introduce themselves
Characters playing a part
“We are Amhara, Wolkait, we are not illegal”
We whisper lies
Through shallow breaths
Hoping to open doors to safety
You call me friend and praise “our people”
If you knew I was Tigray,
You would not help me
Why does ethnicity make me less human
Children leave their mothers womb,
refugees in bouncing pink bassinets
fighting forces who try to erase their existence
Yesterday our people traded sugar and laughs
Around fires warmed by our brotherhood
Watched each others children
A family we stitched ourselves
Now you spit in my face
Blinded by unhinged hatred
For difference
I beg you, tell me
What changed?
Savannah (Vanny) Powell is a recent graduate from Herriman High School in Herriman, UT. She’s a lover of literature and has been writing poetry all throughout high school. Vanny believes in telling the stories of people from every wake of life, and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to share these underreported issues through poetry.
Read more winning entries from the 2021 Fighting Words Poetry Contest.