Seen
By Nashmia, Year 12
Seen.
This is for those buried in the rubble,
their burning flesh setting fire to the sky.
The cries of their children, their mothers, their fathers
and their sleepless nights spent begging to survive.
We see you.
This is from those sitting at home,
our voices so quiet they choke up our throats.
The words from our tongues thrown on deaf ears
ignored by those in suits and cloaks.
We see you.
This is to those we see in Vogue,
who spend six figures on a night at the Met.
Dressed in diamonds or silk and adorned with gold,
while children starve, shot by fighter jets.
We see you.
This poem, Seen, is an excerpt from Sweet Dreams, You. a poetry collection written by Nashmia in Story Factory’s Year of Poetry program. In this program, young people commit to attending workshops for a year and write their very own poetry collection, which is professionally edited, published and launched into the Sydney literary landscape.