We are all refugees
We are all refugees,
Mutated chimpanzees,
Wandering afar
In search of better lands.
Exploring the earth in small bands.
Adventurous or fearful,
Curious or desperate,
Our reasons are disparate.
Tracking the herds
Through the seasons,
We all have our reasons.
Fleeing war or poverty
Desperate for a new start;
We appeal to you with all our heart.
We’ve left our homes
And all we own,
Our friends and family,
And throw ourselves on your mercy.
Once, maybe long ago, you were just like me –
A refugee.
Setting out on a fraught journey,
Seeking something better
For your family.
You settled here,
Worked hard and made it your home.
Now you want to be left alone.
But we have undertaken this flight
Out of necessity,
Seeking liberty and safety.
Look kindly on us and what we could be
For you were once just like me – a refugee.
Opher 22.6.2019
Nobody really owns the land. We are all passing though. We borrow it for a while.
None of us have a right to the land.
All of us, at some point in time, migrated out of Africa. Perhaps in search of better lives? Perhaps fleeing violence or starvation? Perhaps just curious and adventurous?
Long ago in the past we settled and set up home.
Now there are millions displaced by the ugliness of war or starvation, seeking escape, seeking a better life.
Do we drive them away? Do we ignore their desperation? Do we become tribal and harden our hearts? Do we address the causes of the problem – the climate changes, the wars, the poverty? Or do we lend a helping hand?