"I'll Never Return"

I'm the woman who has awoken

I've arisen and become a tempest through the ashes of my burnt children

I've seen barefoot, wandering and homeless children

I've seen henna-handed brides with mourning clothes

I've seen giant walls of the prisons swallow freedom in their ravenous stomach

I've been reborn amidst epics of resistance and courage

Ive learned the song of freedom in the last breaths, in the waves of blood and in victory

THOMAS COLE

Pashtun Woman with Her Child, Afghanistan