“no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark …
Warsan Shire, Home

---

---

Lost the family traditions, the familiar grounds, the
Old home place, the neighbors and neighborhoods
Left behind in the great leap to safety, hope dreamed
But not found through forced marches across the
Desert or sailing the brutal sea in boats that shed
Them, so much flotsam, drifting and nameless,
Leaving grieving hearts in their survivor bodies
Stories shared, commiseration with strangers, now
Tents dot hectares of campgrounds, like so many
Emojis of despair and anger, leaving their stain
And soon or late, count on it, the piper will call

© 2019, Jamie Dedes

---

Jamie Dedes. I’m a freelance writer, poet, content editor, and blogger. I also manage The BeZine and its associated activities and The Poet by Day jamiededes.com, an info hub for writers meant to encourage good but lesser-known poets, women and minority poets, outsider artists, and artists just finding their voices in maturity. The Poet by Day is dedicated to supporting freedom of artistic expression and human rights.  Email thepoetbyday@gmail.com for permissions, commissions, or assignments.

About / Testimonials / Disclosure / Facebook

---

Recent and Upcoming in Digital Publications Poets Advocate for Peace, Justice, and Sustainability, How 100,000 Poets Are Fostering Peace, Justice, and Sustainability, YOPP! * The Damask Garden, In a Woman’s Voice, August 11, 2019 / This short story is dedicated to all refugees. That would be one in every 113 people. * Five poems, Spirit of Nature, Opa Anthology of Poetry, 2019 * From the Small Beginning, Entropy Magazine (Enclave, #Final Poems), July 2019 * Over His Morning Coffee, Front Porch Review, July 2019 * Three poems, Our Poetry Archive, September 2019

---

“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.”  Lucille Clifton