Mirrors

She stands alone

In front of a mirror

Eyes screaming

As her pursuer follows

Her every glance

Through the glassy surface

She can’t escape

As he lingers

Jumping from room to room

Always one step behind her

But never truly there

She crumbles to the ground.

You find her

In this disheveled state

Coax her out of her fears

“You’re alright now”

“There is nothing there”

She reluctantly accepts

What could she ever do

To repay you?

You leave the room

“Only for a minute, I promise”

To tend to the copper kettle

Whistling away across the kitchen

She screams.

You turn.

The only sound

Is the kettle hitting the hardwood.

   
She’s gone.

The Fence of Guilt

This image represents Amir’s life struggle due to his lack of openness with his wife Soraya. The chain links represent the bond that Amir and Soraya have formed through their marriage and love, and how they hold each other together. Additionally, The fence as a whole represents that while Amir and Soraya hold each other together, in truth, Amir only creates a barrier between Soraya and his past. This is just like the barrier between the blurry landscape of Amir’s past and the other side of the fence, which represents Amir’s potential marital relationship of trust and openness. Even though Soraya attempts to instigate heartfelt communication with Amir in her initial openness about her past, Amir refuses to open up to Soraya and confess his secret about Hassan. Furthermore,  the fence represents a defense mechanism preventing Amir from possibly losing Soraya. When Amir first hears about Soraya’s disgraceful past, he says that he is not one to judge, but does not share his past stories. Due to this, Amir retains the guilt he has felt for so long, and rather than gaining someone to confide in, Soraya acts as another obstacle preventing him from true peace. The open landscape behind the fence represents what Amir’s life could be if he took a risk with Soraya, and opened his dark past to her without worrying about her opinion of him.

The Unknown Killer

The Unknown Killer

1.6 billion. That is the number of people in impoverished areas who have been affected by NTDs (The End Fund), also known as Neglected Tropical Diseases. In Africa, these parasitic infections are very common, leading to widespread suffering. While these diseases are a serious issue, and many of them have relatively easy treatments, the world tends to be unresponsive, due to a lack of awareness. The real questions here are what are some of the NTDs, and what is keeping us from solving our issues?

One of these NTDs is known as sleeping sickness, or trypanosomiasis, which causes extreme lethargy, leading to a coma. It can be treated, and the diagnosis isn’t difficult, but it can only be effectively treated if caught before the disease becomes too severe. For those who live far away from medical care, it is unlikely for the individual in need to receive treatment before they fall into the deep sleep, often leading to death. The treatment is simple, developed by Louise Pearce and Wade Hamptom Brown, called tryparsamide, which was based off of an isolated compound used to treat Syphilis (UXL Science). This medication has helped numerous people who have suffered from sleeping sickness, but many untreated individuals still remain.

In addition to this, Hookworm is a relatively simple, yet dangerous parasite in rural areas in Africa. These worms are spread through a lack of hygiene, caused primarily poor bathing habits or contaminated water sources. One the parasite is ingested, it grows, and moves to feed off of the host in the small intestine. This can cause extreme discomfort, often leading to vomiting and forcing whoever is ill to become bedridden. Once again, the treatment process is fairly simple, although it requires up to three weeks for the drug treatment to work. Despite this, many people do not have access to those technologies where they live, and they must simply wait for the disease to pass. In this process, individuals who already live in impoverished areas can become more malnourished, and can have a difficult time when trying to recover from the disease.

A possible explanation for the reluctance to aid in the cause is seen in Weiss’ piece focusing on stigma surrounding fatal diseases. The author uses leprosy as an example: “‘He attributed the social stigma of leprosy to a ‘fear of the loathsome manifestations of the disease’ and ‘superstitions which call down a curse from some deity’” (Weiss, Mitchell). This could play a part in the NTD issue, as well. There is a general lack of awareness for the diseases, and most people who hear of them tend to shy away from the problem, out of fear or assumption that someone else will take responsibility, This will only continue a pattern of ignorance in society. However, if people are able to break this stigma, then they may realize that there are simple and effective ways to aid in the cause. Staying informed can make all the difference in the world, and can hopefully help in working towards lowering the 1.6 billion who are affected.

Works Cited

Bulloch, Gib. "NTD Overview." The End Fund. The End Fund, 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

"Sleeping Sickness." UXL Science. Student Resources in Context. Detroit: UXL, 1 June 2008. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.

Weiss, Mitchell G. "Stigma and the Social Burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases - ProQuest." PLoS. Ed. Juerg Utzinger. PLoS, 14 May 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.