we came to a green land by flowing water / set up our tent
arrogance of homemaking / pretence of comfort
men who belonged / basked in midday sun / spread their anger on rocks in the river
anger fully fed and playful / with lazy eye open / with curious ear cocked
danger here
a gate quietly shut / locked / jingling keys dropped in a well sewn pocket
how did we know? / by knowing the finger bones of fear
we felt the whole skeleton of fear in our bodies
we were tired / seemed we never stopped /weeping to return
the place we had left / so abundant with ordinary /
that we did not need to demand / what use / what other use / how many ways
can we use / the smallest thing
but we had chosen / left behind
anyone who would not come / anything we could not carry
had chosen / to try / for welcome
so although we feared / although we grieved / we knew we could only continue
making food / packing / unpacking household goods
we had already cried many times with longing to be back
and so it was we continued our journey
This composition is published as part of our Refugee: Poems of Courage collection, presented in collaboration with Poems Not Bombs, part of the Forest Poets collective.
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