You were loved, sweet,
Always smiling
When I needed you,
You left.
You gave me the name orphan,
You gave me a black shadow,
Life without you has no sense.
Now, in your best years,
Black soil covers you.
O my Daddy
On your grave
There are roses
It's me who put them there
Your orphan
My Daddy
A life without you.
The poem and drawing on these two pages were created in 1999 by young ethnic Albanians from western Kosovo. Many of these young people witnessed mass murder and the systematic destruction of their family homes. They were forced to march over the mountains to refugee camps in neighboring Albania and Montenegro. An international relief agency called Concern Worldwide organized classes for the young refugees and compiled their work in a book called Drawing Lessons. To learn more about Concern Worldwide, go to their Web site at www.concernusa.org.
