The Refugee

I still look for the little brother who's not there

he left for water but never returned

To be in the wrong place at the wrong time is all it takes

The bomb didn't leave anything for the wake

My baby sister has yet to learn to talk

the doctor said she's in a constant state of shock

Explosions and gunshots as her lullaby

her future dreams and hopes slowly die

My mother's eyes plead for me to go

I'm fit enough to survive the journey, I know

Her fingers clutch a soft velvety blanket

but my newborn sister only needed a casket

She had her on our cold living room floor

and we buried her behind the rubble next door

Maybe when I leave I will find a way to help them

but I am empty and numb, a vacant brittle shell

There's nothing I can do for them while I'm here

I need to find a place of peace on this sphere

I've only ever known my homeland, family, and friends

I never thought that this is the way all that ends

My father clasps his shaking hands around me

The passage is open, my future is set free

I can't meet his eyes, words stick to my throat

they have nothing to eat but I have a place in the boat

His voice trembles as he assures me they will survive

and someday we'll see each other again, well and alive