‘at one, i wished for strength, as i took my first proper steps,
at two, i wished for my mother, as without her i had wept.
at three, i went to pre-school, and i wish i hadn’t cried even more,
then i wished for more intelligence, as i began to read at four.
at five, i wished for friendship, as i made many with such great bonds,
at six, i wished for pencils, as my love for writing was so strong.
at seven, i wished to meet iCarly, (i still haven’t up-to-date,)
and i wished for a better voice, as i learned my love for music at eight.
at nine, i wished to find my self-written book; something my teacher had lost,
at ten, i wished for wisdom, as a double-digit age i had just crossed.
at eleven, i wished for success, with class president already being swell,
and i wished to travel more, after experiences abroad at twelve.
at thirteen, i wished for acceptance, with clubs and musically,
at fourteen, i wished for more time spent with my university-bound brother (Ali).
at fifteen, i wished for nothing, i thought i saw everything that needed to be seen,
but then comes along my opportunity to wish for something at sixteen.
so i wish for a better life and living condition for all those suffering,
and i want to make sure this happens soon, and without any buffering.
i wish for less heartache in the world, and although that is hard to do,
it begins with less greed, less lying, more selflessness and more truth.
i wish for happiness to those around me, since they have given me the same,
i wish to make friends and family proud, which continues to be my aim.
now in total, these may be a lot, but all wishes add up to one, for you see,
i’d wish you could help make all my wishes come true along with me.’
-nida a. (2017)