Trip of a Lifetime

Cherry

By Turlough

Fri, 11 Aug 2023
  • 799 reads
17 comments
 

A hot cloudless day

They lie in the sun

On the trip of a lifetime

Lucky for some

 

Facedown by the road

With the dirt and the flies

Unable to move

Wrists bound, cable ties

 

A boot on a neck

Has blood on the laces

Battered and bruised

The most delicate places

 

Welcome to Europe

Black uniform smirked

Your plan for survival

Well it just hasn’t worked

 

Crossed over the border

From Turkey or Greece

Without any euro

To bribe the police

 

Dragged from the van

Thrown to the floor

Fingers are broken

As baton meets jaw

 

From the south and the east

Fleeing hunger and war

With hope of compassion

They knock on our door

 

No room at the inn

You’ve heard it before

Response to the homeless

Two millennia and more

 

If you come from Ukraine

We’ll find you a space

But Arabs and Afghans

Not quite the right race

 

I too am a migrant

They soon let me in

See I have my visa

In the form of white skin

 

My blood’s just like theirs

Not blue and regal

In this merciless world

Being human’s illegal

 

The sickest of minds

Protecting their borders

We can’t let you cross

We have new world orders

 

Image:

Every image I use is from a photograph I have taken myself. 

On this occasion – Khalil, our dear little refugee friend in North Macedonia.

Certificate 12
Poem
Poetry in Commotion
Opinion

Comments

Submitted by Turlough on

 

Turlough

Submitted by celticman on

white skin in a passport. the irony of no blacks, irish of dogs, is sunak, patel and braverman would have been denied a job in the post office by Winston Churchill. Not regardeed as properly British and never would be. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

It's absolutely awful. I still feel sickened by what we saw this morning. Can't sleep.

Turlough

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

It's a huge tragedy. All those who use it as a dogwhistle for right-wing populism should hang their heads in shame.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Exactly!

It's a problem that affects us all. Bigger locks and higher fences aren't going to make it go away. The world has to change.

Turlough

Submitted by Di_Hard on

That must have been shattering.
When politicians here say they "want Europe to do more about stopping migrants", that is what they mean. I am not understanding what they want people to do, just give up and die in their homes, with their children and parents?
You really saw a dark side. I am scared we are at the beginning. It must have been so hard, not being able to help

 

Submitted by Turlough on

It was absloutely awful. It's still at the front of my mind. But if I'd have reacted in any way I'm sure I'd have found my face pressed to the road too.

I was taking my partner to the bus station so she could go to the Black Sea with her grandchildren over here from France. She burst into tears when she saw this and was still crying as she got on the bus half an hour later. What a way to start a family holiday. What a thing to have to explain to young children.

Turlough

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I do not know what to say. Cannot say I hope you forget it soon, because should not be forgotten. Everyone should remember about this all the time. You did a good thing to write about what you saw. Poor Priyatelkata.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thanks Di. It shouldn't be forgotten and it won't be forgotten.

I'll tell ma femme what you said.

And very well done with the reading. It wasn't so scary in the end.

Turlough

Submitted by Di_Hard on

You read really well! And extremely brave of you to do such a long one, too! But that is my favourite one of your travel stories, so very glad you did

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thanks Di. I spent an hour chopping big chunks out of it. I'd have gone on too long if I hadn't. I'm often accused of going on too long anyway so I thought it would be good to get off on the right foot with ABC.

 

Turlough

Submitted by marandina on

 "See I have my visa

in the form of white skin."

 

A searing poem, Turlough. You paint such a graphic picture with a story that, I imagine, is hard to re-tell.. Issues like this need constant profile until we finally get to somewhere near to equality.

 

You did a good thing writing this. Paul 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I'm really glad to read your words Paul because I'd been wondering.

It took me less than an hour to write this poem and afterwards I wondered if I should have taken a bit longer to make sure I'd got it right. It's an ourpouring of the distress that was going on in my head (and still is) so I hardly had to think as I was writing.

But when I talk of my distress I think of theirs. There can be no comparison.

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I'm so sorry you and your partner had to go through such a traumatic experience. My heart goes out to that poor vicim of circumstance.

Jenny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thanks very much Jenny.

We're feeling sorry too but much more for the victims of this awful global problem than for ourselves.

Turlough

Submitted by David Kirtley on

A very sad poem! So called economic progress seem to be failing to get ever larger numbers of people a land they can really call home. Wars and political/national and ethnic tensions seem to be pushing more and more people to take the trip of a lifetime. Good governance, prosperity and humanity is what we all need, but it isn't in place in most or many countries. 

Submitted by Turlough on

It's very depressing David. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Governments blaming governments. Governments turning ordinary people against each other. People turning blind eyes. 

And it's bad enough seeing it all on the news but the incident that my partner and I saw was sickening. It was two weeks ago but still I can't get it out of my head.

Turlough