(Tekle Tareke) Taktar is a member of the Victims of Sinai Torture Association, Adi Harush refugee camp, Ethiopia. (The author is not a CVT client.)

After all that
Here I am
A L I V E
Don’t ask how it comes
let me share with you some,
And how I am

ya…after all that wrong journey, torture
and…after all that wild rape and violence
Things from a world of no torture
Beating, burning…no chance to breath once
yaa…it’s true…

Time of melted plastics drop
were considered as break time.
Reddened hot metal rod
heavens denied, to let’s escape through dying

IMAGINE…IMAGINE
All crying in agony there and here
 faint heartbeats echoing in the ears
falling world leaving black clouds of doubt

I can remember…noses farewell the smell of dust
the tired mind is weakened to realize the dusk
forgetting that there might be another dawn

OH…oh… the soul was still there while the body was gone
All this was then, which was hard to share
I don’t(I did’t) want to share it, and I didn’t dare
But then I got support from CVT, so, now I don’t care
I’m strong enough to stand against TORTURE
That’s why…after all that time

Here I am alive.