HEALING

Fleeing into another country, Being separated from the ones who love you the most, The ones who accepted you for who you are, And did not look down on you And brought into a city of the unknown, Healing.

Healing.

Those days filled with worry, Those days filled with crying, Because we were waiting, Waiting and waiting...

Every day after school, Asking, “Mum what did ‘they’ say, Are we going to be deported?”

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A piece of your heart, A piece still belonging to a place, A place you once called home, A place where you built memories, A place you will never forget.

Healing.

Screaming ringing in your ears when you go to sleep, Blood and tears, every time you close your eyes,

Because you remember those times, Those times filled with fear, Those moments that cut deep, Deeper than a sharp knife, And leave a scar.

SILENCE-

Because we were in the dark, Praying and hoping that we would be lucky.

Healing.

Seen as an alien. Or a foreigner as some people say, Are we threatening?

We are sorry for ‘invading’ your land. If our countries were safe, Without war, rape, murder, slaughtering, corruption, With access to what every human deserves, It might have been a different story?

Still healing.

We are not thieves, or whatever people call us, We are people just like you, Should a place only belong to the people who were born there? How would people learn about different cultures?

Not finished healing.

But. Thank you to all of you who helped, And thanks to those who understood our plight,

Thank you to those who showed compassion. Those who were sympathetic, and thoughtful, And cheered us on to live our lives in the best possible way we could, Those who shared their food, Their clothes, Their homes, Their country, And helped us feel at home away from home, And helped with the settling, And helped with fitting in, And helped with the understanding of the culture, And finally helped in the process of HEALING.

Eniola Afuye

Written for Refugee Week I wrote this poem to encourage everyone to show compassion and sympathy towards people who are going through this process, as well as supporting them in whatever way you possibly can.