The Pearl that Broke Its Shell

by Nadia Hashimi

Things fell apart at home, just as they did across the country when Russia left.

Afghan warriors turned their guns and rockets on each other,

but a man who had been taught only to destroy found it hard to create. Loud sounds jarred him. He grew frustrated and

Warlords were Afghanistan’s new aristocracy.

Allegiance to a man with local clout meant a better life. It meant an income when there otherwise would be none.

Everyone wanted control

warlord.

Those were ugly times. I can only imagine what my father must have seen from the time he was just a teenage boy.

He clouded his mind with the opium that Abdul Khaliq kept around, as crucial to his men’s ability to wage war

Then came the Taliban.