Literary Yard

Search for meaning

By: Gulshan Ara

Honoring all the refugees around the world who are trying to escape man made terror, devastation, and starvation as the families divided & lost; In America, parents of children separated at border in Mexico under Donald Trump have still not been found, court filing says!

Photo by Takeshi Charly on Pexels.com

She was standing near the barbed wire
Barricading the country of her dream
Staring blankly at the horizon, trying to see beyond her vision!

Can’t cross the barrier physically
Yet, her eyes see far beyond the horizon
Watching sunset, sunrise, sunset and sunrise again

Baking under the blazing sun of mid-summer day
Sticking out her fingers through the barbed wire
Trying to stop every passerby,
Asking, “have you seen my little girl”?
Her voice, once loud, now fading out, turning into whisper
Once strong grip on the barbed wire becoming weaker & weaker
Feet giving up, arched body stooping on the ground

She made a long journey from Haiti
Trying to escape terror, hunger
Clutching her two- year-old girl to her bosom
In search of some security, some food
Crossing the Caribbean Sea by a boat
Landed in Mexico
Made a long journey through Mexico, mostly on foot
Reached the barbed wire dividing America

Suddenly, like a mirage, a small door opened
A bordar patrol guarding the door
Her face lit up
Along with many, she ran for the door
Hoping to set foot at the land of her dream
She did enter America but only to be kicked out
Her little girl was snatched from her bosom
She was sent back to Mexico
Her daughter cried out “Mommy, Mommy”
Spread her little arms to clutch on to Mamma, without vain
Then she disappeared among an ocean of children
Her loud outcry resonated with those of many other children
Then faded away

Her mother and many other parents waited and waited
Clutching on to the barbed wire
Some succumbed to heat, hunger & starvation, some gave up
While life went on as usual in the world outside
United Nations General assembly kept on holding
Meetings after meetings
At the end of the day,
Going home to hot dinner & warm bed
Waiting to meet again the following day

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Dr. Gulshan Ara is a scientist, poet & social activist.

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