The Boat People
written by: Aparna Reddy
@AR_Midnighthues
the shores are unreachable
the sea cannot sustain them
men, women and children
crammed in rickety boats
they sail, the boat people
hoping to anchor themselves
between the shore and a dark life
we group ourselves as them, and us
who are they, and who are we?
we create inhuman boundaries:
countries are pressured by economics
people are controlled by politics
they are rundown by fate,
champions of human rights
have drawn a line of silence, even
the Buddhists renounced their tenets
welcomed, but with contempt
nations have turned their back
no one wants the boat people
how long can they float?
humanism has sunk deep
to the bottom of the sea
the weight of the conscience
anchored and chained
Copyright: Aparna Reddy @ Midnighthues Poetry
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
We are so engrossed in our own world and countries in their own affairs.
Religion, politics and economics have become larger than life in today’s world, we tend to forget that we are all human first. We have become mere spectators; it is heartbreaking to see so much pain and suffering. The pain that these poor asylum seekers endure in their homeland is far worse than the danger of the rough sea. This poem is dedicated to all those resilient souls who brave themselves to smell the fragrance of freedom. The Rohingya and the Syrian crisis inspired me to pen these lines.
- Sounds of Silence - February 4, 2021
- Dandelion Flower - March 25, 2018
- My Valentine - February 14, 2017
