A better day will come

"Listening to the sound of the market in Ramallah just a week before it was attacked and burnt was a powerful experience - but to hear that later after that the market was repaired, regenerated and back in action was an even stronger feeling of the power of resistance.

"The beautiful poem "A better day will come" by Afghan poet Hosnia Mohseni seemed to me to strike the perfect tone of hope and possibility among fear and violence, and the presence of resistance within poetry and within art.

"This piece is a prayer for a better day."

Featuring vocal readings by Nogol Madani, Rebecca Denniff, Tiurlan Sitompul, and Judith Mann.

A Better Day Will Come - Hosnia Mohseni

Sister, 
The day will come when you and I will fly 
Over the proud hills of our land. 
A day will come when the doors won’t be locked 
And falling in love will not be a crime.

You and I will let our hair fly, 
Wear red dresses, 
And intoxicate the birds 
Of our vast deserts 
With our laughter. 

We will dance among the red tulips of Mazar 
In memory of Rabia. 
That day is not far. 
Perhaps it is just around the corner. 
Perhaps it is in our poetry.

Ramallah market recording by Anders Vinjar reimagined by Cities and Memory.