At first, we stayed
Well,
Wouldn’t you?
It’s home;
The only home we knew.

We stayed, though death rained from the sky
Friends came, each day, to say goodbye.
Schools closed. Shops shut. Hope slowly died.
The trap is set, and we’re inside.
The sniper shots;
The dread night raid:
Each day,
New ways to be afraid.

We stay. Time passes. Children grow.
This hard half-life is all they know;
This hard half-life that’s marred by war
And we can’t stay here anymore.

At last, we left.
Well,
Wouldn’t you?

Would you not seek out safety too?
The journey’s bad. Arriving’s worse.
The people here think us a curse.
No jobs, no schools, no hope, no friends:
This can’t be where our journey ends.
There’s no way back. We can’t stay here.
It’s dirty, cold, and full of fear.

I long for home, but home has gone.
Our only hope is moving on.

My town was such a wondrous place!
The buildings old, and filled with grace;
The vibrant, bustling market square;
The coffee shops! Such life was there.
In my heart, I see it still:
The sun set on the olive hill.

All gone.
All gone.

The sun still sets
On broken walls, abandoned pets,
Good earth that’s turning, now, to dust,
Shrapnel, rubble, rot and rust.
And only soldiers hear the screams
Of ghosts that linger in my dreams.

Please,
look at me.
Just look at me,
And tell me, Friend,
What do you see?

I live, I dream, I breathe, I feel.
I’m just like you.
I’m flesh.
I’m real.
You don’t want me.
This truth, I know.

So, tell me then – where should I go?

And, tell me then – what should I do?

Will you not let
Me live
Like you?