Holding her beloved’s hand the couple left for Ahmad’s house in the countryside. His family was large and they all lived together in a huge house.

Suddenly the army commander stops the film and says to me in a loud voice, “Since you are studying international relations, what do you think about our plans? Should we continue to do these things?”

Zarin sits on an old courthouse bench, her face covered by her blue burqa, and thinks deeply about what she has just done.

The Taliban still has influence and is a threat in different regions. Suicide bombers and drug dealers are operating everywhere. Poverty is a major problem. Many people lack jobs or shelter. If the government cannot help with these things, how can it support its own army to provide security to people?

I am leaving tonight / Carrying a huge bag of memory / With a fragile and frozen heart