these small hands: a poem

Art by Tanzila Ahmed

A few years ago, I attended "The Names We Carry", a poetry and activism workshop taught by writers, Minal Hajratwala and Shikha Malaviya. The art was part of the Rebel Legacy exhibition at the Asian Resource Center in Oakland, CA. It was a truly unique experience, penning poetry in response to artwork that advocates for equity and social justice. This poem on child labor was inspired by Tanzila Ahmed's piece.

these small hands

these small hands
that once lay in my palm,
days old,
pink and wrinkled and warm,

now
pull red, gold, green threads through needles,
fold fabric,
sew sleeves on shirts,
legs on pants.

these small hands
should be clutching dolls and
melting ice golas,
grabbing tree trunks and
the twine of kites soaring in the blue sky,
holding pencils and
tracing the curves of the alphabet.

now,
the chafing cotton
draws new lines of destiny.