Heritage
Written by: Ammaarah Adamjee, Hyde Park High School
I’m sorry for it all
For not turning out to be me
For the changing who I was supposed to be.
I get it
I’m Muslim
I’m supposed to wear a scarf
Supposed to cook, clean
Pray 5 a day,
And make all my guests laugh.
And yet I find myself
Wearing jeans too tight to breathe in
Shorts too short to be considered pants
I burn my toast
And over dip my biscuits.
I can’t turn on the dishwasher
And seem to always sin.
And the only time I find myself sitting down praying
Is when I’m in my exam venue about to write?
A test I will probably be failing.
But this is my heritage,
How I bought up to be
So I guess in the end
We’ll have to wait and see.
Khaloza Books Feedback on submission:
Captivating style from the start, with an honesty that is both endearing and compassionate. Appreciate how the contrast of cultural expectation vs. who ones is becoming is captured in a way that is respectful yet also questioned and challenged. Great cliff-hanger ending that suggests to the reader a continuing unfinished growth. A truly lovely piece with very strong symbolism and rhyming style. Congratulations Ammaarah, you win a book voucher valued at R250 from the African Flavour Books!
About Ammaarah
I’ll be totally honest with you, I’m not a writer , reader or a word based person. However i find myself taking way too many Instagram pictures and skateboarding until it’s too dark to see the road . I also enjoy animals which was why i wanted to be a vet but my intense dislike for science made me choose EGD ( engineering , graphics and design) as one of my senior subjects. Therefore , i realized i have a passion for visualization and so i’d like to go into the fields of architecture. I am currently in grade 10 and hope to finish my matric so i can go on to study architecture in Australia.
