*
Our poet writes: “I am Sahiba Mohammady, a poet and writer from Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Currently, I am majoring in biotechnology with a minor in English at Endicott College. I work independently on poetry and journal writing, and I published two of my poems during high school at Governor’s Academy. Through my writing, I explore themes of identity, culture, and the experience of injustice, whether I have experienced it myself or have witnessed it in others.”

My Baby Girl Jesus

Sahiba Mohammady

Do you know when a baby is born?
The father said, “She’s not my baby. I haven’t touched her mum.”
Do you know this is a girl? A Baby Girl Jesus.
You don’t believe me? Come, see her in Nuristan.
She is bright and beautiful,
She is light and sunny.

But the people don’t see her, because they don’t believe in Baby Jesus.
Do you believe it?
She is adorable and beautiful.
When she smiles, it is the ascent smile of the world.
But the people don’t believe,
They wanted to kill her before she was born.
Do you believe it? Or are you one of them?

She is tiny, with a cute little face,
But the people say, “Don’t kiss her, because she doesn’t have a father.”
Don’t you kiss a cute little baby?

I do.
Because she is a Baby Girl Jesus.
She doesn’t have a father.
She was born without the approval of the world,
A miracle in the eyes of the faithful,
Yet rejected by those who don’t believe.
They want to erase her before she grows.
But, here she is, and she shines
Like the sun that refuses to hide behind the clouds.
Do you believe it now?
She is a light in the darkness.
She is a Baby Girl Jesus,
And she is here to light the darkest hearts.

— Sahiba Mohammady, 4/2/2025

________________________________________
To have your work considered for the Lyrical send it to:
Doug Holder, 25 School St.; Somerville, MA 02143
dougholder@post.harvard.edu