“it’s like i was running and running and there were trees twisting their roots into the dirt and they tripped me and the branches, they scratched my face, and the wind, it burned my eyes and tangled my hair, and the sun, the sun kept threatening to set, and i didn’t know if there was enough light, could there still be enough light for me to make it to you before it was gone? and the light did leave, it left just like i feared it would, but don’t worry, please don’t worry, because no one ever told me, but when the sun sinks behind the horizon, the stars take its place, don’t you know the stars take its place? and there was enough light, thank God there was enough light and i promise you, i promise, there will always be enough light for me to find my way to you.”

– fortesa latifi. 20 years old. poet.