All I saw was the beautiful smoothness of the leather,
I didn’t see the pain and suffering behind it,
All I felt was the softness of the pages,
I didn’t feel the agony of watching your friend die,
All I imagined was how it would go with my bag,
I didn’t imagine the people that had been sacrificed so I could have,
All I thought of was the exciting stories I would write and important notes I would take,
I didn’t think of the stories of those who had been exploited
All I saw was my own opportunity,
All I felt was a satisfaction of my need to have,
All I imagined was the ease of writing everything in one place,
All I thought was “It’s a really nice notebook.”
I didn’t see the despair and cry for help in the eyes of the woman who sold it to me.