{{And now she’s left but left with none and left with nothing
no family, no friends
she is crying for help but who’s there to protect her}}
{she cowers in the corner
hiding from who she thought was a friend, a neighbor
her heart pounds
As bullets explode in the air
Echoes of the shots ricochet through her mind}
{{all of a sudden she hears noises:
a crowd of bloodthirsty people talking at the same time
singing, laughing as if the darkness has ended
but for her it has just started
she hears footsteps resonating
she wipes her eyes so she can see straight
suddenly two shadows collide with her eyes
they start shouting and humiliating her
as they raise their machetes
fear grows into her and screams for forgiveness
and they say
“let’s leave her, she is not worth the raise of a machete”}}
{tears falling down from her eyes
she feels worthless and steps into the open
she sees houses burning
people’s bodies scattered everywhere
in shock and paralyzed with fear
she wonders what a home, once filled with beauty, grace and faith, has
turned into
this was 19 years ago but she continues to search for the light
she doesn’t let the past determine her value
she lets the future reveal her dignity}
{{Her story needs to be told and impacts us all
But who could tell it better than she can
her voice speaks through us
and reminds us of the spirit that remains.}}
(Nadia Umwali)
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