Lead Through Life - A poem written by Tomas O Carthaigh

Photo: Florian Bachmeier

Lead throug life

In camps they live in Mitrovica
As UN protected refugees
The silent victims of a war they did not start
Whose plight nobody sees.

The only ones labeled IDP
Taken from them their own name
With the ’liberation’ of Kosovo
Never for the Roma, things be the same.

The planes came and bobed their homes
Roma and Serb had to flee
Torched and totured by the Albanians
They asked how this could be?

In the northern section of Mitrovica
A refugee camp of Roma stands
Along with two others,
Built by UN on Serbian lands.

Its not repaired very well
And as they rise or go to bed
In their lungs they breath red dust
Of where theyre camped: a mine of lead!

Yes UN placed camps on slagheaps
’Only for 45 days’...
Its now three years or so of tears
And there the camp still stays.

© 2007 Tomas O Carthaigh