The Walk Education & Activity Pack

Little Amal stands at the beginning of her journey.
1, 2, 3 her eyes closed.
1, 2, 3 she sees darkness.
Within the darkness is a path.
A path of the unknown.
1, 2, 3 we go, down the path with no light…

My bed and the sound of mom’s bracelets
rattling when she pats my head.
The ginger cat that appeared one day and stayed.
and the broken tile above the bathroom sink.

I had to leave
I couldn’t stay
I had to leave
Now I look up and
see the birds
flying north
And I feel safe
I am not alone

I am not afraid of anything
Well, except wind at night.
I am not afraid of anything
Well, except the sea.
I am not afraid of anything
Well, except very high places.
I am not afraid of anything
Well, except the airlines in the sky.
I am not afraid.
That’s what I tell myself when I am.

The sun and its heat on my face
The brown soil that I like to sink my feet into
The trees with all of their leaves
The crickets that won’t shut up
And that swallow way up in the sky
They are all part of me
I feel it when I stand very still
A thin line connecting me to them
A thin, thin line
It makes me happy and scared

When I was three, I hid under my mother’s bed
and heard everyone shout my name
When I was five, I climbed a tree
and couldn’t come down
When I was seven, I told Omar that
when we grow, I’ll marry him
Now I am nine and walking
Now nothing can stop me

I remember grandfather sitting on his doorway
with his coffee pot telling everyone that passed, “Tfadalo” – “Welcome”
I remember my grandmother cooking
more food than we can eat
“If a guest comes, we can welcome him”
she would say
I remember when this word would bounce
off the walls of our neighbourhood all day
It’s a word that makes me feel warm