Anarchy caused by a ruler's unfair reign,
Negotiations regarding this matter have gone in vain.
A country where lives being lost is a cynical matter,
Houses burnt, dreams shattered.
Speak a word against them and you're subjected to a 100 lashes,
Or worse, when bodies are burnt to ashes.
Amidst it all you wander,
Fearless child, who was never scared of storms and thunder;
Constantly in search for food and a sanctuary,
If you weren't born of this ethnicity, it wouldn't be yours to worry.
Situations gone from bad to worse,
Where a life lived is a living curse.
A country gone haywire,
A state burning in undiminished fire.
To escape from here without being burnt by the flares,
To walk away into another land where none cares.
Away from your family, away from your home,
You now walk on this journey all alone.
A future deprived of colours and beauty,
A soul victim of unending cruelty.
I understand, that you constantly worry about your survival, child,
But do know, it was never yours to venture out to the wild.
It was your age to read famous classics and fairytales,
To laugh, to live, and not to cry and wail.
To know that around the world exists all kind of people,
The good, the bad and also the evil.
But now, you only know of one,
The kind of people from whom you always have to run.
Run away child, run away from this mess,
For you, I believe that should be best.
Away from the sound of bullets shot,
Away from the obscene view of bodies that are left to rot.
There are no rules, no order,
Escape from here, to the other side of the border.
Your legs may not permit you and you may run short of breath,
But to flee is better than to be subjected to a ruthless death.
And to solely embark on this journey without a companion on whom you could trust,
May you find the courage, and know that you matter, for you're more than just a speck of dust.
Do know child, your family, who are now somewhere above are still rooting for you,
For you to believe in life, for you to start anew.
Because if you made it through,
There would be your mother and father somewhere up there,
Feeling a sense of satisfaction and pride,
For they would've done anything,
Anything for you, little survivor.
The writer is a grade 10 student of Sunbeams School.
