Poetry

Osman Sagirli photo

By

Brian Crandall

Refugee

Gather your family

And run through the carnage

Your home destroyed

In the middle of the night

Rebel insurgents shoot at government forces

Erratic Extremists cut the throat of a woman

Cut the throat of a child

Showing no mercy

Like an animal

Wild

Nobody knows your name, Refugee

No money, no food, no water

No plan devised

So many left behind

You leave on foot

A desperate search for freedom

Never knowing what you might find

Through the heat of the day you press on

And on

Feet aching, heart breaking

Huddled together

Your family shivers through the night

Nobody there to help you, Refugee

No bridge to cross this obstacle

The sea is hungry for souls to feed

Too many people or

The boat is too small

A wave turns it over

You hear a child’s terrified call

He looks at you for help

Afraid

You sacrifice, so he could stay

Your child survives another day

But nobody came to your aid, Refugee

I’m sorry you didn’t make it, Refugee

Tears of Terror

Living in Fear, I’m TERRIFIED

I want to sleep through the night

But I’m too scared

My eyes open wide

It’s been like this since the day I was born

This is my Reality

This is my norm’

One day I asked my mom, “Where is my sister?”

Mom said she’s gone to heaven

And I really miss her

We never go to school

so we’ll never learn

What it’s like to get an education

All we feel is the burn

I hear the explosion of another bomb

I run outside and, now

I can’t find my mom

My dad has been gone since

I was about two

A victim of Violence

Now I don’t know what to do

The family around me

Everybody is dying

Now I’m standing here alone

And I can’t stop crying

Brian Crandall

I write poetry in an effort to encourage caring and compassion for people who are struggling and suffering. The poetry I write about refugees and the homeless has been read in churches in the U.S., England and New Zealand. Syrian freedom fighters messaged me a thank you for the poetry about the struggles of Syrians. The poetry I write about traumatized soldiers is incorporated into PTSD counseling groups in California and New Jersey, while the poetry is also incorporated into counseling in the ‘Alternatives to Violence Project’ in both a men’s and women’s prison.

To learn more, check out Brian’s book on Amazon.