Witness to Death

I was very young during Pol Pot time

Of which he committed a very big crime

Almost two million deaths of citizens

With many different races when it happened

Different kind of torturing and killing then

It did not matter where it took and when

I saw the Khmer Rouge tie up many of them

Even the victims did not have any problem

I cried and hid inside the hut for this crime

My mother closed my mouth and said it was their system

If they heard your crying noise you would get killed

Like the victims died without having any guilt

I saw their blood all over and I would feel

How much suffering these people had to deal

Then I stayed quiet without making any noise

And whispered to my parents with very low voice

That we all did not have any good choice

Our lives would be in danger without joy

We felt bad that one day it would be our turn

To keep our mouths shut if we did not learn

That we all did and had nothing to earn

On torturing or death would return

To the lives of the victims at any time

Like all of us used to play and spinned a dime

Even we did do or have any problem

They would accuse all of us that it was a crime

That it was time for us who were going to die

And they did not let us to scream or to cry

I remembered one time we were under the dry

And hot sun in the rice field here came the spies

Along with other Khmer Route with the horse

Beating up one man with very strong force

Then they tied up that man and they would of course

Kill him at any minute without remorse

By their horse with many strings to his ankles

With the high speed toward jungle

The horse ran faster than the fly of eagle

We all knew that he would die in the middle

Of the field and we saw his blood we closed our eyes

If they saw us like this we would die

But they had fun along the very fast right

Some laughed so loud and some stood up and smiled

We were just about to cry for their action

We thought that there was not a competition

High speed horse killed him from their solution

To really show us and make us pay attention

If anybody did like that poor man

They would do the same thing to us again

That this was the warning to us as their plan

They also would tie our eyes with a band

We were fearful for our lives that one day

We would face the same thing at the same way

Or different kind of killing everyday

It did not matter we would die anyway

In any second we were going to die

They would kill or smash us like a fly

They watched us everyday and every night

When they killed people they did not let them cry

Or scream at any circumstance and condition

That would draw the other victims attraction

They killed them with a smile without hesitation

And they did not want any interruption

Because most of them were the young fellow

About ten to early when who wanted to show

They were proud of themselves with the eyes glow

By killing people without remorse or sorrow

One morning when we went to work in the field

We saw a lot a of the Khmer Rouge stood and yielded

That we all would die like this man who was real

And they would leave our bodies in the hill

Or in the field or on the dam or anywhere

They would catch us and leave our bodies there

They would kill us if we were brave and dare

To steal anything and did not step out the stairs

Of the huts when we were off from work during the day

Or at night that we needed to stay

Even one piece of grain of rice by the way

Would be the crime and cost our lives anyway

We lived with fear of death and starvation

Either way would would die at any situation

One day during the fall season by their decision

They gathered all of us into one location

Surrounding by water that was the monastery 

Which was very quiet and also empty

They wanted to kill us one by one as they pleased

We were separated from our families

They would kill the old the sick people and the children

Their last plan would be going to happen

By wiping all of us out without bargain

Because we all heard the gun shooting as a sudden

That happened quite a bit during the day

By putting us in the canoes to where we stayed

In their village before and we worked everyday

I got to see my family sometimes during the day

But I could not talk to my nephew and sister

Not only me who would have to suffer

By not talking them but also the others

Barely saw or talked to them as we would prefer

And we got back to the monastery

In the evening as you could see

We all thought this was like a jail where we were not free

After dinner we had a very long meeting

To warn all of us that did not try to flee

The other nightmare happened and what do you think

Every night during the meeting there were the killing

And torturing of anything they could bring

Or the fault accuse that we did not sit straight

Or sleepy by turning your head and did not wait

For the meeting to be over that late

Or yawning and the punishment was your fate

Along with your destiny was the combination

Of your death cruelly in addition

With anything and nonsense accusation

They brought up anything into consideration

They tied up one man and pushed him down to the water

For a very long time until he would suffer

Until the last breath before he had dinner

And they laughed very loud in a bad manner

Everybody feared that it would be their turn

Of torturing them to death as they just learned

What happening to that man they concerned

That the mind of the Khmer Rouge could for sure earned

The credit that they did the good job of killing

The more they did badly the more they would think

Suddenly they pulled another man by telling

Him to bring three big pots of water and let him drink

Poor man had to drink that they ordered him to do

Anybody thought what nightmare he went through

He had to finish and thought that he did not even had a clue

He died right away and his face turned pale to light blue

Anybody frightened and hid their thought

That what and who would be next the monster brought

That much water expanded his stomach and he fought

For his life and tried to survive as he sought

By lying down on his stomach to regurgitate

So he could stay alive and did not hesitate

Even he calmed down and tried to concentrate

Nothing happened of whatever he made

He learned this way which he had been thought

Anyway his life would end without getting shot

It did not matter whoever would get caught

Like the slaves the owner sold and others bought

These torturings did not finish until the meeting ended

Do you think what happened next can you bid

Those nonreligious monsters cheered what they did

They thought that they never ever would forfeit

To the others because Pol Pot was the best

Leader of the world they were proud of good nest

The talked to each other that they could guess

They were the best team sitting around the desk

They not only tortured and killed the innocent people

Every night but they also filled up the score puzzle

Of our death during the day without struggle

They liked to kill and torture without trouble

They marked down how many of us would be killed

They wanted to perform well and they filled

Up the marks of death so they could feel

Proud of themselves that bad things which they did were real

The victims were mostly men who wanted to escape

They planned to do this even they were not related

For the Khmer Rouge the men were the big rate

To destroy by killing them for their fate

Of the poor men who did not want to die

How could they be safe if they did not try

To escape through the water because they could not fly

If they did not do they know for sure they could not hide

Bur the vast water blocked by the high dame

From the monastery to the Thai border was the problem

The Khmer Rouge killed us according to the Pol Pot system

For whom who escaped stole run walked around and would have the same

Consequence to death wherever all of us were

We got killed for their fun by the Khmer Rouge youngsters

If they caught the escapees not far and sooner

They took them to the edge of the monastery by water

And shot these men down to the water without their gave

Those monsters screamed very loud and said who would be brave

To escape then that person would be shot like a slave

Even he tried to run and escaped into the cave

It would be his death by their consideration

Sometimes we digged our own graves by their decision

So we had to be careful and pay attention

By not yawning sighing or sitting straight from our action

Or trying to escape through thousand miles of water

Even we swimmed further we had to suffer

From crocodiles snakes creatures that they put earlier

We would die so they did not have to follow us farther

They forced us to dig a very big and deeper ground

They wanted to kill us and our bodies would fall down

Into our own grave altogether because they found

The new killing strategy without wasting that mound

There was not much land left around the monastery

This was our last lives to say bye to our families

The young monsters shot many poor men then it would be

Other ones kneeling down and getting hit on the back necks

Some other men getting cut their throats would be next

Their bodies fell into that big hole suddenly

And we knew the old and sick new people would be

Killed along with their children that they were so many

This time they wiped all of us out without conscience unless

They thought that they did good jobs and made a big progress

Our poor lives would be gone soon and they were careless

They were very happy because they made a huge success

For Pol Pot and most or all of them were uneducated

So they would kill all of us and did not feel hesitated

Because all of their plans were successfully completed

Whatever we did work with our lives they would meet

The high state of transportation and agriculture

The very big high dams done by us were all over

There was no single piece of land felt any further

All the lands were filled up with rice fields and water

So they would wipe us out and did not need us anymore

They had anything they wanted that they were looking for

But one thing was that they did not do any furthermore

To kill their own parents like one place we were before

Because their parents did not go to join them in the woods

When those Khmer Rouge came back they were angry as they should

They shot their own parents and siblings as they could

In front of the people eyes and our bodies would

Shake badly but we controlled ourselves not to move

There were nothing of what we just saw and could not do

Anything happened to those poor parents who went through

People started to dig the hold to look without a clue

Why they did and what they did to their own parents

Suddenly we heard many gun shots very constant

We saw the people who dug the hold die in just a moment

With a lot of blood and we still did not understand

We were frightened and we were very lucky

That we did not do the same thing of what we could see

And these monsters talked loudly to all the families

Not to dig holes in their places if we did not agree

We would face the same consequence from their warning

We continued our trip and started moving

I was very young and witness of what happening

Wherever we were and I saw all of these bad things

Why they wanted to kill and wiped off their own people

They hated religions which caused them a lot of trouble

They thought the religious people made them many puzzles

The killings and the torturings I would not be able

To do anything but only saving my life

And I could not scream very loud or even cry

I hope that people in the world will not face the sight

Of death like this even they would like to try

I already witnessed to death for almost four years

They haunted me even I closed my eyes I still could hear

The screaming of death ringing into my ears

I cry from the past nightmare and I still very fear

I wish that people in the world will not meet this criteria

Like this and they still live in peace but not war

I love you all like I love galaxy of moon and stars

That your lives will be bright and you live in peace so far

And you will not see witness to death like me

Of which it will haunt and frightens everybody

So please all of you will understand and will see

The peace of life will bring us all into the degree

Of happiness and the new creation of the new lives

That we are looking for hope of peace very high

For lives with longevity into the very bright

Future with good health good luck that we all try

To stay in peace forever and ever lasting

That gods will help all of us and peace will bring