From the book "Displaced Reflections" by Oddny Gumaer (www.partnersworld.ca):
BEAUTY
"I think they are beautiful. I don't think I've ever thought the refugees weren't. Not the beauty of perfect bodies and a face free from wrinkles. Not the beauty of brand name clothes. Not the beauty of spotless complexions, perfectly styled hair or smiles of bright write teeth.
"They are beautiful because they have lived. In their faces history is written. Their hands tell stories. Their feet are wrinkled and brown from years of walking without good shoes, through jungles and over fields, maybe down the busy streets to the market. Maybe they were running from soldiers at their villages burned in the background. You could tell that the colors in their clothes were once bright and bold. Some of them were woven on old looms in their bamboo houses. To add to the already intricate patterns, they added seeds they found in the jungle or in the fields. Now, however, they had become faded and dingy from years of use and hard work. Many of the pretty seeds have fallen out. There are holes in several places.
"Still I find their clothes more beautiful than expensive designer outfits from exclusive boutiques. Their backs are straight and their heads lifted high. Often they carry their loads on their heads. The humiliations they have suffered have not made them change their proud stature.
"They are beautiful. Their beauty tells a story.
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