8th of March,
What has the world offered,
To women and girls as such?
Yet, it falters in offering security and peace,
As women face countless injustices with no release.
Whether within walls or beyond,
The powerful reign, dictating and deciding the bond.
So, what marks International Women’s Day,
When children in Tigray, Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Ukraine, and Yemen have no say?
If they can’t have peace, run and play,
What signifies International Women’s Day?
Where a mother’s voice is muted,
In a country torn, her rights refuted.
Born and live in conflict, she’s bombed, violated, besieged, and starved,
Her life’s woven with sadness, traumatised and disheartened
8th of March loses its sway,
Reduced to habit, a ritual replay.
Women must rise against fascism’s guise,
Narcissism and misogyny, spreading their lies.
Rise for peace in Tigray, Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Ukraine, and Yemen demand justice to sway
For the millions of girls children and women,
Rise today and tomorrow, before life is forgotten.
To end lives steeped in misery and sorrow,
Without peace, there is no joy to borrow.
If women lack peace, children find no harmony,
Humanity wallows in perpetual agony.
International Women’s Day should be celebrated,
Only when children and women are emancipated.
4 women in memory of women and girls Tigray, Palestine and Ukraine, Sudan and Congo
International Women’s Day 2024
JB