Blue Ghosts Of Kabul by Ilona Lagowski-Timoszuk I want you to tell me what it’s like for you there, sister, woman whose horrors are exploited, shamed by our newspapers. We hold our breath, watching images of sticks striking blue fabric hiding faces– identities transformed into blue ghosts. The horror of judging you by our standards & expectations. You. A victim we must reach hands across leather couches, broadband wires, mirrors – to save. Do you want those hands saving you from rumors? Is it as we perceive and shake our heads hitting palm against chest, declaring I could never live like that… What lives behind cloth fascades, smiles, laughs, hopes, infatuations? Dreams – what dreams do you have? Are we so different peeking at skies, wondering what exists beyond clouds kissing the air that carries away our secrets. I want you to tell me what it’s like for you there, sister, woman, friend. Ilona Lagowski-Timoszuk United States Ilona Lagowski-Timoszuk was born in Warsaw, Poland. Then, her father relocated the family to USA. Ilona is a currently graduate student at University of Manchester, UK, where she is completing her MA in Novel Writing. Her writing has been featured on the BBC. Rogue Scholar, Andwerve, The Write Side Up, and LauraHird are a few literary journals who have published her work. In June 2006, Ilona won first place in the poetry competition hosted by Poetrywars.com.