Dear Khodayar, I was asked by a friend when we could all be
together again and I immediately thought of you. I wanted to tell her “We can
never be all together. Khodayar has been killed. He will never be with us. His absence
will persist for as long as time.”
And I don’t think just of you Khodayar. I think of the
absences of all the dead – particularly those who were cheated out of life. I
think of all those who can never be with us. I miss you all. I recognise in all
of you a part of my self. I love you all.
I carry the memory of all of you. This is an infinite thing
to carry. Each life is an infinite thing and should never be cut short by
another person’s hand. But many lives are dishonoured and destroyed. This was
done to you Khodayar. The job for us who call ourselves human, who choose to
reaffirm humanity with our lives, is to not leave behind the murdered and the
silenced, but to bring you with us in our hearts and minds. You explained this to us Khodayar. Our job is to feel
the connections that deeply exist between all of us and to not deny love. To
look into your eyes sith the steady gaze of a child. Love Stephen
