Shafiq, 29

Kabul, Russia, 2006

Happy family, I was in,

With a lovely doctor, as a mother,

And a hard working father, for the government,

I cannot forget about my smart, undergraduate brother…

My family has cast away to Pakistan, so alone I was studying,

I became a translator, for U.S. Companies,

CNN news, Cisco, and American Express,

My family has returned, happy family, I was in…

They invaded my personal space, I heard three “bangs,”

Bang! I turned my head to the left, seeing my father collapsed,

Bang! I turned my head to the right, my mother laid still as a rock,

Bang! My heart was no longer with me, yet I was still running…

I managed to escape, but I could not rest peacefully in a place I called home,

With all the money I have left, I bought a ticket,

Five hours plane ride, felt like a lifetime of sadness,

It is lonely being alive, goodbye happy family

This poem was based on a true story of a survivor, who is now living safely in New York, USA.