Freedom Is A Place

by Ida Madilamba

I feel lost!

 Where can I go?

 To whom can I turn to?

My identity, my skin color and gender

Everything is working against me

They say I don’t belong

Go back to where you came from they continue

Disgraced, ashamed and lost,

I knock on the door and violence opens

I will always have power over you he says

Oppression screams I will never stop

Injustice laughs at me saying I will always suppress you

Desperate, I run away from them

Here I am defeated and lost

In the middle of nowhere

Resistance and resilience approach me

Don’t give up, don’t stay quiet, fight! They scream

Their words pierced me like a supernatural force

I stood on my feet

I ran back at the doors of my oppressors

For the first time

I stood against them

I fought the hardest I could and I defeated them

For the first time I had dominion over violence, oppression and injustice.

I am free!

I found a place of true freedom!

A place where my identity, my skin color and gender are finally respected

I am a fighter

And I took my freedom by force.