We were fugitives fleeing from a war
We did not ask for, and our sole sin
Was to be caught in the crossfire
Between the known enemy without
And the hidden enemy within:
We exiled ourselves from the land
We were born and brought up in.
Once defined by borders, we are now
Lost survivors bearing a vision
But buttressed by the belief that
History is with us and the relief
In the discovery that everyone
Was a refugee once who struggled
To build a future under a foreign sun.
Our numbers erase our ancient names
Though not the rhetoric of abuse
But mercy though dying is not dead
For there are those who ignore the surge
Of myths and bitterness breasting their shores
And haunted by the horror beyond the horizon
Offer asylum, opening their hearts and doors.
A timely and apposite crie de coeur.
Thank you very much,Louis.
A moving poem….especially on this day
Thank you very much,John.
A beautiful verse portraying the present reality
Thank you,Nalini.
Beautifully crafted holding-the-mirror type of a poignant poem. I loved the first para but the second one was even better.