A simpleton was I, my dreams limited in extent
My life was peaceful, in relative ignorance spent
Politics was something for important men
Who deliberated in meetings, using paper and pen
For all that I knew, their promises were meant to be,
Mostly false, never to be taken seriously
Even when policies changed, seldom it was so
That anything would be expected to interrupt the flow
Of life in a nondescript town such as this one
We enjoyed uneventful days under the sun…
**
The winds of change were blowing, before I knew
They picked up speed in our direction too
A civil war whose origins I’ve never understood
Destroyed us more than a tsunami could
Mass shooting, looting, arson, curfew
Entered our town and our lives too…
**
We were simple folks, had never thought
Of leaving the land on which war was being fought
Yet living under terror, losing family and friends
Hoping against hope for the violence to end-
Reluctantly we came to the inevitable conclusion
That leaving the country was the only solution
**
If only it were that simple….a shudder runs through me
As I recall each hurdle we faced to leave our country
Fake papers, bribes, arduous travel in disguise
Journeying through the night, hiding at sunrise
Braving hunger and illness, solely propelled
By the urge for survival, those monsters we quelled..
**
Now I am settled in a new land, and have heard
Similar stories from people from some other parts of the world
We have been uprooted for no faults of our own
For our losses, we cannot help but mourn
Yet we are grateful just because we are alive
Of course that trumps inability to survive…
**
I know time cannot be turned back, but I
Shall long for that simple life till I die
Before I knew how politics would change my life
Before I knew my land would be torn by strife…
Passion...unbridled 