(Dedicated to my mother and my grandmother)
Bare feet, a bush knife, and string bag swung across the back
Fresh bananas, nuts and yams, all in a neat stack
A bundle of leaf on her head, walking down the track
Her skin, and her hair, Melanesian black
The sun scorched her head, and sweat washed her brow
Panting breaths, and stooped back as she bent low
Down the rugged village track she walked slow
To the market to sell her goods, there she’ll go
Her garden pays an extra wage for her children to learn
Two more need to go to school, so she works hard as she can
She used to stay home while school was for men
However, she works hard so that her daughters too can learn
In a few years’ time her daughters go to school
To be like other girls, and to be as cool
To have textbooks, and to sit on their own stool
To be educated, this is the most important tool
Today, there is a doctor, lawyer, teacher, and an intern
So in school we worked as hard as we can
To show that women are as good as the men
Because we were given the right to learn
This poem won the Pacific Community 2013 Pacific Human Rights Award of special recognition for highlighting the right to education through creative writing.
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