Please stop walking, and look at us
Raise your head and look at us
Raise your hands and look at us
Look at the life lost in our abode
Look at the tears our eyes have lost

We lost a year, when we lost the dream we wept 
We lost two years, then we lost how to understand time
We lost three years, then we lost our appetite
We lost four years, then we lost sleep

After five years lost, we became addicted to medical drugs
After six years lost, we became addicted to the disease
After the seventh year lost, we became addicted to
          the thought of hating our bodies
Lost in our eighth year, we were addicted to oblivion

Lost in our ninth year, we were addicted to the question
          of “What is living?”
After ten years away we are slaves to a shadow
          of an idea of “life”

Note: This is a 150-word poem reflecting on the tenth anniversary of the detention of three Tamil Asylum seekers in Australia. It was written by a Tamil asylum seeker who was detained with them for 6.5 years.