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Gather your family
And run through the carnage
Your home destroyed
In the middle of the night
Rebel insurgents shoot at government forces
Erratic Extremists cut the throat of a woman
Cut the throat of a child
Showing no mercy
Like an animal
Wild
Nobody knows your name, Refugee
No money, no food, no water
No plan devised
So many left behind
You leave on foot
A desperate search for freedom
Never knowing what you might find
Through the heat of the day you press on
And on
Feet aching, heart breaking
Huddled together
Your family shivers through the night
Nobody there to help you, Refugee
No bridge to cross this obstacle
The sea is hungry for souls to feed
Too many people or
The boat is too small
A wave turns it over
You hear a child’s terrified call
He looks at you for help
Afraid
You sacrifice, so he could stay
Your child survives another day
But nobody came to your aid, Refugee
I’m sorry you didn’t make it, Refugee
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This poem was originally published on the author’s Page on Facebook:Â Empathy Globally: Painful Portraits of People – in Poetry, and is republished here with his permission.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
