Fortress
What if we ignored the Established
Protocol, opened our borders, rolled
away the razor wire and offered you
shelter, a place to sleep, away from the
railway tracks and the mud and the
traitorous sea. What if we helped you
bury your dead, carried your children
set you safely on the road to freedom
What if we gave you hope, the heart
To go on?
How will we say we didn’t know?
that You had walked for miles from the
Battlefields, that your families perished
in freight trucks on some irrelevant
motorway, while we looked the other way
We are not strangers, we know your story,
read your poetry, danced to your music,
travelled in your ancient lands,
what if we said
take what you need, there is enough for
all. What if we said welcome, brothers and
sisters, you are safely home.
© Mary Ellen Fean.
“Fortress” appeared in the 18 September 2015 edition of the Clare Champion.
