Swallows of Kabul
I am trapped inside
I cannot escape this place
But what traps me here
Could it be my mind
Is it something external
I fight the outside
But that is not it
It is there internally
I cannot decide
To be trapped is death
I lose my identity
I change my own thoughts
I am at a loss
I don’t know how to resist
Stuck between two things
For swallows of Kabul I was intrigued by the change in characters relationships by the external and internal pressures resulting from an oppressive Islamic culture. Zunaira a strong independent woman would soon be reduced to questioning her ideology and husbands character as a result of isolated events. It is just further evidence that events take a toll on people, especially in an environment that is suffocating the very ideals that someone holds in highest esteem. Zunaira unfolds throughout the entire novel, to the point where she neglects her lover and allows another woman to die in her place. To describe the emotional struggle within this piece I wrote a poem in which an internal and external battle occurs from stanza to stanza eventually crushing its victim between the two. This is a sad occurrence but is common of people in dire situations, especially when there is little hope to get out. This message carries weight through not just extreme scenarios but also in societies with a large amount of inequality or lack of social mobility. Hope is an important thing and in its absence individuals and eventually classes collapse on themselves. It is a way of non-violent oppression. And in many ways it is the worst form of oppression. It rids people of a sense of identity and identity necessary for protest or resolution to change the status quo. All of the most successful dictatorships have been successful because they have collapsed the morale of their opposition and silenced them by destroying hope. My poem is supposed to describe the essence of oppression internally and externally and how it is combined.