Refugee (noun):

Refugee (noun):

And Webster's dictionary would define the term refugee as something technical, general, and devoid of a human connection, I'm sure. However, a refugee, in essence, is a staggering corner of humanity. To be a refugee is to be stranded outside one's home; it is to be lost in a place you have never been before, driven there by a certain set of demons against your will. It is to be a personification of cognitive dissonance- physically bound to one location but emotionally attached to another. A refugee, if I am defining it simply, is a soul controlled by outside, unfair circumstances.

It is one thing to describe a refugee from the sanctuary of a private university hall in Denver, CO. I imagine (justifiably or perhaps arrogantly) that to be a refugee is to straddle two spheres of emotion. One is an astounding courage, the courage to continue moving forward even when past events may have proven the reality of your worst nightmares. The other, a dark shadow,  is an omnipresent fear. Fear of both the past and the unknown future- a constant uncomfortableness in one's state of living.