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
Warsan Shire
These are the opening lines of a highly moving poem by Warsan Shire, a British-Somali Poet. This poem is about the painful plight of the refugees, who are forced to flee from hunger, violence, and persecution in their respective countries. These helpless refugees are herded through hostile lands by callous criminals. They are subjected to unimaginable physical and mental excesses while they are transported from one place to another. They have to face humiliation, starvation, torture, and sexual exploitation during their quest for a safer place.
Warsan Shire has comprehensively captured the plight of refugees in her poem. In fact, she has given voice to the gruesome experiences of the refugees. Each verse is fraught with anguish and pain. One can only hope that the world stops seeing refugees as a problem.
I was reminded of this poem when I heard about a boat tragedy off the coast of Italy, early this week. The wooden boat was carrying migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Somalia. At least 60 people including 12 children are reported dead, and many more are feared missing. Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of this sort, and not even the last. Alas!
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These lines are so powerful. Would love to read the complete poem.
No one wants to leave the house but when caretaker turns corrupt, no matter how large the space is, it simply becomes stifling.
What we are facing in our beloved country is no different than the plight of refugees; unjust, unbearable, unbreathable environment…
Blessings unto all!
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Of course, no one leaves the home by choice. One only leaves home when it is made a simmering hell for them. “HOME” is the most poignant poem about the plight of refugees. It makes you weep. Let’s hope that the migrants are also treated as humans and not as objects.
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Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, Ahmad.
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That is a heartbreaking poem. The things refugees go through both before and after is something I can’t even imagine. No one should be forced out of their home like that. We have quite a few Somali refugees in Kenya and I had the opportunity to talk to some and they are just lovely people. And it’s really sad what’s happening in their country right now.
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Of course, the sufferings of refugees are unthinkable. The treatment meted out to them is hard to describe. One can only hope that this nonsense stops now. They must be regarded as humans, and be allowed to live their lives.
Thank you Pooja for sharing your thoughts.
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Absolutely, they’re people not political pawns.
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The fact that there are “good expats” and “bad refugees” in today’s world makes my blood boil. We all know it’s political. Some of us have better passports, while others are dealt a bad hand from birth. Shouldn’t there be a more fair method to allow people to live in other countries rather than selecting them based on their passports? How does this one small thing determine people’s whole future abroad? It’s beyond me…
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Totally agree with you, Bahanur. There must not be any discrimination among the migrants based on their passports. All expats must be fairly treated, and their rights (?) must be equally protected. They must be seen as humans and not as a problem.
Thanks for sharing your valuable thoughts.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Brenda. Indeed, “Home” is a great poem and makes you empathize with the refugees.
Agree with you that the human traffickers need to be dealt with sternly. No one leaves their home for nothing. People are forced to do so. Hence their plight should not be further exploited. World governments must put their heads together to find a permanent solution to this perennial problem.
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Great poem that really drives home your message. I agree, the plight of refugees trying to escape persecution, war etc should not be exploited in such a callous manner. We need to deal with their abusers, people traffickers etc.
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