I'm reposting this previous blog because today 20th June 2016 is the World Refugee Day. Unlike many other commemorative days, I believed this day should not be happening again in this day and age. But as some statistics indicate, maybe about 60 millions people are displaced, either as refugees, asylum seekers, migrants or internally displaced persons.
According to UNHCR, World Refugee Day is to commemorates the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees.
There are so many questions plaguing my mind. Why is this crisis still happening? What can we, as an individual do more? When will it ends? There are many more questions, but no answers. I feel hapless.
So, this blog is dedicated to all the refugees out there. May we will never commemorate this day anymore.
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I seldom read poems because of my lack of understanding of the beautiful words that those poets tried to partake. However, a few poems left me with profound effect and this poem, "Home" by Warsan Shire made me teary.
HOME
No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well
your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body
you only leave home when home won’t let you stay.
No one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing until the blade burnt threats into your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.
you have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled means something more than journey
no one crawls under fences
no one wants to be beaten
pitied
no one chooses refugee camps or strip searches where your body is left aching
or prison, because prison is safer than a city of fire and one prison guard in the night is better than a truckload of men who look like your father
no one could take it
no one could stomach it
no one skin would be tough enough
the
go home blacks
refugees
dirty immigrants
asylum seekers
sucking our country dry/[foreigners] with their hands out
they smell strange
savage
messed up their country and now they want to mess ours up
how do the words
the dirty looks roll off your backs
maybe because the blow is softer than a limb torn off
or the words are more tender
than [the attacks]
than rubble than bone than your child body in pieces.
I want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore
unless home told you to quicken your legs
leave your clothes behind
crawl through the desert wade through the oceans
drown
save
be hunger
beg
forget pride
your survival is more important
no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear saying-leave,
run away from me now
I don't know what I’ve become but I know that anywhere is safer than here
I just want to share this powerful poem looking from the eyes of a refugee. I'm not trying to make any political views, nor do I trying to thrust my view to anyone in here. But I like to quote a sentence from this poem; "that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land".
The tragedy that befell many refugees in this world, Syrian, Rohingya, Palestinian, and others, should not be happening, but it did. Sometimes, it's hard to understand the reasons, but as a human being, I hope there would some kind of solution soon. Otherwise, it's a tragedy of humanity.
Comments
I only pressed like button when you posted this poem, don't know really why but perhaps it's like a sense of shame when I listen, watch and read about this and my words won't help at all. Anyway I like someone make us remember here sometimes of this tragedy.
Thank you for your repost and remembering this day.
Hi Erza, I can't imagine putting myself in their shoes. The feeling of haplessness that is beyond words. May these refugees find some happiness soon.
Hi Mitran. I believed many people shared the same thought as me. :(
wow, Love your though so much....
Some people do feel the pain, feel the empathy of those suffering. It's just sometimes there was nothing much they can do.
wow , very strong words , and have been felt embarrased, how many pain have in the eyes some people .....
Ratu, yes, though sometimes I like to whine about my country, this poem does hit the nail on my forehead. It shows how lucky most of us are. No matter how hard our lives in eking out to make a decent living, at least we are not driven away from our homes, not like some of unfortunate souls.
Reading this poem made me feel pain and fear of them who have been through the agony
Life is so hard for some of us who still looking for a promising land
It's touching my heart, and yes I can not handle my tears,...thanks for sharing
Evangeline, you're right. No matter what we think, and our opinions are, the main thing is humanity and empathy. If we lose that fragile grip on humanity and empathy, we will lose our 'beings'.
Setareh, we have a saying over here; "Raining gold in other country, raining stone in own country, it's always better in own country". I've been to other countries, and even stayed in South Korea for three months. Sometimes I may whine about certain things, but, I won't trade it for any other things and live somewhere else.
Yes, I hope and pray that these people will live in their own countries, peacefully, once again.
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