Submitted by : Hadiyah Jacqueline on Hijab

Why do you stare
Just because I cover my hair
Why do you glower
Just because of my attire
Why do you seem to think
That I don’t care
That I have no feelings
No sense of compassion
No sense of fashion
No sense of what’s right
And for whom I fight
So just listen to me
Truly… I’m free
I’m part of mortality
Not an alien freak
And this hostility
Is hurting me
Deep inside,
I’m burning
Yearning to break free
Of this stupidity

Why can’t you listen?
Why can’t you open your eyes?
See my tears
See me cry
See me and open your heart
I’m not a strange being
I’m not an invading force
I’m just a human girl
And you have no right
To mess with my affairs
To make rules and laws
That goes against my way of life
Against my sense of what’s true
No matter what you think
I’m not in need of a rescue
I’m happy with what I choose
I don’t need liberating
And I’m not giving up
I don’t need your blessing
To follow my heart
To live my life

But just listen
I’m only asking you to listen
See me for who I am
See me for what I am
Please… I’m asking you
Just for a second
Open your hearts
See the truth
See me for who I am
See me for what I am
Look past the screen
Look past the barrier you see
And look at my personality
I’m not a murderer
I’m not a beggar
I’m not a failure
I’m just a human being
And I just want you to see
Me for who I am

Underneath my scarf
Underneath my hijab
I’m just an ordinary girl
With hopes and dreams
And I want to be free
Of you discriminating me
Because I’ve done nothing wrong
And you shouldn’t convict me
For breaking a law
That doesn’t exist
Leave me in peace
Stop trying to “assist”
Because it’s not helping
It’s just breaking
Our souls
By locking us up
In a jail of hate and scorn
And of adversity
As if we have some fatal disease
And it hurts

So please
Listen to me
When I say
We are already free
We have no desire
No want to shed our attire
We just want to be let free
Of this cage of misery
Of hate
This boundary
That you have helped create
Pay attention to me
Because instead of liberating me
You have thrown me to the lions
And I’m tired of being torn at
I’m tired of being an outcast
I just want to be me
And I want you to see
That you haven’t helped me to be free
Instead you’ve taken that away
Face it… you’ve imprisoned me
And I hope you’re happy
Because I’ve lost my liberty
Why couldn’t you see?
That I was already free…

http://thewrittenword-au.blogspot.com/