By Tararith Kho
Through the field to the dwellings,
Grass covers the ground of cruel things;
The past still stays; they remain:
Misery and pain, like shadows.
The palms used to stand in the field,
But they have now disappeared
Because someone cut and cleared them; without caring
Someone wanted them gone.
Temples were not temples;
No monks inside, no sermons, no worshiping;
Black dresses were everywhere; they came, covered,
And changed this nation, our nation, in all directions.
Bones were found everywhere;
People were scared, we were shocked;
Khmer killed Khmer, same nation; For what reason?
For Angkar.*
Justice is what Khmer needs;
To reveal the hidden truth;
Who was Angkar? Khmer was killed for what?
Justice for Khmer, for millions of bones.
Bones are bones.
No soul can point, no soul can show;
The enemy is around, harming us every day.
*Note from the Poet: Angkar means organization. (“Khmer Rouge
used this word to lead Cambodia. We didn’t know who was Angkar? When the Khmer
Rouge wanted to catch or kill people, they said: ‘This is by order of
Angkar.’”)
- Trans. Aisha Down