"When Problems Happen" by Victoria - A poem from the Anjali House Writing Project

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information 

"When Problems Happen" is the first of several poems that will be included for the event.  I am very proud to be able to share it with you.  All of the authors are just starting to learn English.  English and Cambodian share no historical roots and their structures are very different, making the writers accomplishments all the more marvelous.  

"When Problems Happen" by Victoria

 

In my dream I want to travel around the world.

When I see bad things happen to people

I want to help, too, but I don’t know who they are.

 

When I look to the sky

I see the bird fly in the sky.

I want to fly, too, but I don’t have a wing to fly.

 

I want to touch the sky,

but I can’t touch the sky,

because the sky is very high.

 

I feel unhappy because there is a flood in a country.

I want to help the people.

When their trouble is over I will help them to build a house.

 

 

 

 

Victoria, age 12 (all writers are using pen names in order to protect their privacy) author supplied data.

 

One day at Khmer school I had a test. I did some tests and some I didn’t. One week after that, my teacher checked the tests.Some tests had good scores, some had bad scores. Then the next week my teacher gave the student record book and I saw that I had a good score. I had passed my exam. I took the student record book to give to my mother to see it. My mother was very happy and I was very happy too.