Oh you Ocean: Rahim's poem
My name is Rahim. I am from Afghanistan, in Kabul. I have an MA in international relations and diplomacy from Kabul University. I worked with the US Army as an interpreter. When the American troops left Afghanistan, the lives of all the interpreters were in danger. We were very well known, and many times we were threatened by the Taliban. That’s why I decided to leave Afghanistan.
Oh you Ocean, give us love..
Look what has happened to us..
Do not run the waves against us..
We the refugees, We swear our cause is sad..
Oh, you would not believe, but our tears can drown you so much we cried..
We accepted all people and were kind and loving toward them, but when we fell, everyone betrayed everyone of us..
No one is crying for us..
Oh, today the whole world failed us..
Oh you Ocean, make your waves calm, there are children in this boat which are our memories and our lives are still in this boat..
I swear, our tears could fill all the seas in the world, and all our children’s childhood is gone in your waves and it kills our children, lives and hopes..
Oh you Ocean, let your waves have pity on us and be crying like a mother..
Oh Ocean, let us have peace..
We only want peace and now, we will go to get some peace.
Today Rahim volunteers with Their Story is Our Story to help gather and share the stories of others who have been forced to flee, to reveal the individuals behind the “refugee” label and cultivate meaningful relationships with those seeking refuge locally so that, together, we can help build strong and inclusive communities worldwide.
Read Rahim’s full story.
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Image credit: ©TSOS/Christophe Mortier