{"id":12929,"date":"2017-01-30T13:49:24","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T18:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=12929"},"modified":"2017-02-03T23:12:42","modified_gmt":"2017-02-04T04:12:42","slug":"monday-morning-moment-syrian-refugees-no-one-puts-their-children-on-a-boat-unless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=12929","title":{"rendered":"Monday Morning Moment – Syrian Refugees – No One Puts Their Children On a Boat…Unless"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What drives people to leave everything behind – everything they have known and owned – and board a sea-bound, over-loaded boat for an unknown future? My sense is it’s running for one’s life…rather than their path to terrorism.<\/p>\n

These days in the US, we are adjusting to a new presidential administration and changing policies. Protests and social media wars abound. How to understand and what to really believe are challenging.<\/p>\n

What is true?<\/p>\n

A wise friend responded to my voiced struggle of what to think about our nation’s changing views on immigrants and refugees:<\/p>\n

“The people trying to escape evil we want to welcome. The people who want to export evil we want to identify and shut down.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though not prepared myself to address the latter, I would like to highlight the plight of refugees…especially Syrian refugees. A poem I discovered just yesterday is real and riveting…and can put the reader on that sagging boat, holding our children tight, and hoping we will make it to that distant shore. With no idea what will come next.\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: CNN<\/a><\/p>\n

Warsan Shire<\/a>, a young Somali woman who grew up in London, writes deeply personal poetry about life and struggle. Her poem Home <\/em><\/strong>is a powerful description of the refugee experience…especially the Syrian, but it could speak to others as well [read the whole poem here<\/a>].<\/p>\n

No one leaves home unless<\/em>
\n Home is the mouth of a shark<\/em>
\n You only run for the border<\/em>
\n When you see the whole city running as well<\/em><\/p>\n

You only leave home<\/em>
\n When home won’t let you stay.<\/em><\/p>\n

No one leaves home unless home chases you<\/em>
\n Fire under feet.<\/em><\/p>\n

You have to understand,<\/em>
\n That no one puts their children in a boat<\/em>
\n Unless the water is safer than the land<\/em>
\n No one burns their palms<\/em>
\n Under trains<\/em>
\n Beneath carriages<\/em>
\n No one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck<\/em><\/p>\n

No one crawls under fences<\/em>
\n No one wants to be beaten<\/em>
\n Pitied<\/em><\/p>\n