Voices unheard: Poetry from young refugees

Amidst challenges, creativity shines. This blog celebrates the voices of young refugee students from Myanmar, living in Malaysia, as they share their stories through poetry.

The following poems were crafted by students we worked with throughout 2024, where they were invited to explore feelings and emotions through colours and words. Through their poetry, we find strength, courage, and the power of expression. Join us in listening, learning, and celebrating their voices.

Love

Love looks like a garden full of flowers

It feels like I’m the happiest person in the world

It sounds like a beautiful harmony in my ears

It smells like expensive perfume

It tastes like a chocolate ice-cream melting in my mouth

Everyone deserves to be loved!

Anger

Why do I feel like this?

I never meant for it to happen

Now I’m confused……….Please tell me what to do

I feel hot rage like I’m going to explode inside my head

Please tell me what to do

I feel like shouting on top of my lungs

Sometimes I want to jump off the cliff and stay in a happiness place,

just to stay away from reality and never come back

Please tell me what to do

Why can’t someone just show me a warm smile…….

just one smile to make my life full of joy and not anger

Anger is black makes me feel like I don’t care about anyone

I want a better life!

Anxiety

Anxiety looks like a worried look on a beautiful face

It sounds like a thousand African drums beating all at once

It smells like breathing polluted air

It tastes like rotten egg in my mouth

It feels like no one understands and no one cares

I’m falling into a deep crevice

Will someone save me?

Jealousy

Jealousy looks like everyone has what they want, and not me

It feels like I’ve got nothing, and I want to run away from this world

It sounds like why, do I have to suffer, and not others?

It tastes like eating food that you don’t like

It smells like a rotten smelly pile of garbage

Jealousy is a hard place to be!

Sadness is blue

Sadness is blue like gloomy rain weeping

from a cloudy sky

It is a heartbroken empty house

slumped on a hillside

Sadness is like a devastated, broken toy

that is sagging and forgotten

It is a cheerless silence!