Private people, political pawns
Scratching for survival on the barren plains.
Tufts of autumn grasses, scraggly skeleton trees
A frozen mist of grey
descends on them all.
Flickering flames fight for life
beneath four large twigs
crossed unevenly above
the mound of ashes.
Vacant eyes stare despairingly.
The route to freedom pushes back
Behind them an equally determined force
hems them in. No return to civilisation.
Trapped, the human hostages wait.
For Life. Or for Death.
As usual the world watches on.
Albeit through distorted crackly images
sent from the migrants’ phones.
The Press refused entry by both sides.
In the glare of publicity, but not.
In our sights, but not.
Days become nights.
Tens of migrants become hundreds.
Hundreds turn to thousands.
In an area bereft of anything
There is even less than nothing.
The masses gather
at hastily slung up rolls of barbed wire.
The Border.
Words are thrown through the
gaping holes of mesh,
Stones are hurled across the countries.
SNIP SNAP.
Shears ineptly
attack the coiled boundary.
15,000 official soldiers ahead.
Unknown army thugs to the rear.
2,000 imprisoned, homeless, unrepresented.
No voice. No advocate.
Humanity at its basest.
As the verbose political volleys
are strewn across the air waves,
As political threats are met by counter-threats
People Die. All hope diminished.
Resolutions are passed in amiable assemblies
Discussions continued over replete repasts.
Morsels from these luncheon tables
But a dream to the Trapped.
Flown in by a malfeasant country
on the wings of promises,
of easy access to the West, of bright futures.
However much one might question
such nativity. The truth remains:
No one leaves their home for uncertainty.
No one endures such hardship.
Without real and absolute cause.
As the hoards gather in the frozen murk
Ghostly beings wander the earth
Human beings abandoned by the world.
For once, why not take the high ground?
For once, why not do what is morally right?
Let governments continue their wrangling,
Let world organisations issue
their impotent irresolute decrees.
For NOW
At the border, save the people.
Allow orderly documented entry
From there seek the best way forward.
For NOW
May humanity take a step forward,
Through the murk, across the wire.
©Annika Perry, November 2021
Rules and boundaries have a certain appeal to me and when I was recently challenged to try my hand at the unusual Etheree poetry format I accepted quickly!
Annika Perry 