The first time she ever set eyes on the sea,
She was forty seven.
It was a long road there.
She set off with little enough,
And arrived with much less.
She had a home, once.
A house,
In a well-to-do area of the city.
Life was good.
But fear came,
In the form of bullets, shells and bombs.
Once, gas.
Her house is rubble, now.
Memories and possessions buried,
Alongside her husband.
Alongside her daughter.
Alongside her middle son.
Her hands are scarred from the digging.
For weeks,
Her palms were raw and bloody,
from blocks of masonry,
Too large to move.
Dust and tears.
The pain came later.
It was bad enough to lose her home,
But when you’re caught in the cross-fire,
And the food runs out,
What else can you do?
Her eldest son paid for the crossing,
With borrowed money.
Somewhere,
He is ‘paying off’ the loan.
A bonded labourer.
A slave.
Her youngest son was washed away.
The dinghy was too small,
The passengers too many.
Fear.
You could smell it,
Alongside the despair.
The panic.
There were fewer of them when the sun rose.
There is shelter here,
Of a sort.
But when the wind blows she shivers,
Drawing near the oil drum blaze.
There is food,
Once a day.
Of a sort.
There was a welcome.
She soon learns what sort.
Now, she walks down to the sea.
She wonders whether she should,
Whether she should just,
Just, slip under,
The waves.
Mick Canning 
Fantastic Mick.
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Thanks, Rupali.
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Gosh, this is hauntingly brilliant.
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Thank you, Lucy.
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Sad enough, world should be a happier place.
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It should, Subhash. We need more humanity.
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Powerful….more then any human should have to endure!!
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Much more, I agree. Thank you.
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Wow…it is super…loved it.
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Thank you! Most kind!
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What a moving insight into the life of a refuge. And sadly, as long as there are wars, there will always be refuges. Whoever said “war is hell” was exactly right…..
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Exactly, Ann. We need more humanity.
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I got goosebumps… This issue is a very sore point with me, as you know. It’s shameful that it is not better addressed by the powers that be. Well done.
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Thank you. Yes, it is shameful. It has become both a political football and a screaming match about nationalism and fears and hate, and common humanity has been just kicked into touch.
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The short poem with a few words is so poignant enough. The mindless wars that cater to the ego and greed of a few have millions facing such plight. What an irony and a drag on humanity!
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It is heartbreaking. Thanks, Somali.
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Powerful and haunting words.
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Thank you, Christine. And thanks for visiting and commenting.
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Sad and haunting. Well done, Mick!
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Thanks, Shail. It is dreadfully sad.
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I tried to reply to this a week or so back but couldn’t log on. Able to now, obviously! I think this is quite a powerful piece and I can add nothing more to those who have already written before me. Are you posting this somewhere else? Might be a nice piece in one of those European newspapers – New European or similar.
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Thanks, Jackie. No, other than my Facebook page, this is the only place it appears. I’ve never submitted any of my poems to any other publication, because I think of them as being far too amateurish.
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