By Andree Peña, El Jute, Candelaria de la Frontera
We’re driving on a dirt road to el jute
to the homeland of mountains and hills
and land good for grazing
when my uncle points
“ahí los enterraron”
and i already know enough not to ask
if his fingers pulled the trigger
and if all the stories i heard were true
One day i’ll go back
and give them a proper burial.
This is the life of a refugee
experiencing the ptsd from a war i never fought
from a war no one wanted
but a war we had to fight.
and for all the comrades ive lost
i’ll pick up a rifle and join you in the trenches.
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