A Congolese woman on the Road (To all the displaced people and all refugees everywhere)

(a displaced woman)

Again on the road

carrying bundles of clothes,

pieces of bread, empty bottles for water...

i am going ahead.

It's the road to my past

paved with strife, blood and pain,
there is no way out...

i am a stone thrown away.

It's a crossroad with no choice

and i'm stuck in the middle
guns, rape, violence, grief

blood money and greed

take over everything...

the rebels suppress us

the government's a mess

this road is our only shelter, ally in this chaos.

i' m holding my son, he's quiet and still

looking straight in the eyes, he whispers:

"what are we punished for? are we so evil?"

are we preys for the beasts?

are we migrating birds?

are we victims of men?

are we people or dust?

are we remnants of the past?

do we have human name/face?

we are the citizens without homes

the forced travelers, always on the road

the free slaves of this land

we are children of this demolished place

even the foxes have holes,

the birds have their nests

the cattle sleep in stables

but all we have... is the stars and our Faith

***

(the world)

are these shadows from our nightmares?

or ghosts haunting us for our wrongdoing?

or are they just the reflection,

of what we cannot see but what's true and apparent?

how would we know...

when their voices are silenced

when Someone has muted the truth

when the world is trying to cover

the names of these human faces

with mere numbers in the news...?

Dedicated to all displaced people and all refugees around the world: Hold on!!!

God has proclaimed through the prophet Jeremiah:

"I myself wil gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I
will place shepherds over them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing, " declares the Lord! Jer.23:3-5