I was 9 years old.
I remember coming back from school,
And finding some blood in my underwear.
I thought I’d gotten injured,
And didn’t give it much thought.
I became afraid the following days,
When there was still more blood.
I didn’t want to tell my mother,
So she wouldn’t yell at me.
That was until she found out,
While washing my clothes.
“What is this?” she asked.
“I don’t know.
I keep finding blood,
And I don’t know the reason.”
“That means you got your period,” she said.

She taught me how to use a pad.
It bothered me when I wore it.
It made me feel uncomfortable,
So I took it off.
My mother told me off,
But I didn’t do as she said.
The following day when I went to school,
My pants were stained with blood,
But I managed to hide it.
I was worried people would make fun of me.
It felt as if I’d committed a crime.
I had to wear sanitary pads following that incident.

When my father found out,
He yelled at me:
“You have to start wearing the hijab!
I don’t want to be punished because of you!”
I wore the hijab against my will.
I was not allowed to play with my neighbors or cousins anymore.
I haven’t been allowed to do many things since then.