Protected witness contributes poem for United Nations newsletter
A poem by a protected witness under the care of our Agency has been published in a newsletter issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The poem, entitled ‘I Feel Protected’, features in the December 2019 edition of the PLEAD Verdict newsletter. For privacy reasons, the name of the poet is not revealed.
PLEAD – the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery in Kenya – is a partnership involving the Government of Kenya, European Union, United Nations and civil society that is improving the delivery of justice services, settlement of disputes and use of alternatives to imprisonment.
Our agency is one of five criminal justice institutions receiving technical assistance through the PLEAD partnership.
We hope you enjoy this poem. To view the PLEAD Verdict newsletter visit the UNODC website.
I Feel Protected
I celebrate myself, and sing for myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
The risks and danger that I faced,
For witnessing a heinous crime,
But all that is now a mirage,
I feel protected.
Thanks to the Witness Protection Programme,
For providing solace and a safe haven for me,
I was under threat, tormented by those criminals,
But all that is now a mirage,
I feel protected.
I eat well, I sleep well,
My family is safe and secure,
I breathe the air of hope without despair,
They planned to kill me, they can never get me,
But all that is now a mirage,
I feel protected.
I wait in earnest for the testimony day,
To tell the court what I saw, on the fateful day,
I feel bad for the victim, he didn’t deserve to die like that,
I pray for justice to be done, for those bad people to be punished,
They thought they will defeat the justice system,
But all that is now a mirage,
I feel protected.
Thank you, Witness Protection Agency,
You took me with open arms, when my life was in danger,
You assured me of my safety, when I felt cornered,
And I know that the hand of God is the promise of my own,
That after all is done,
I will be re-integrated back to a safe environment,
But all that is now a mirage,
I feel protected.