Journeys (from A Refugee's Point Of View)

• Sian Hodgins, Grade 5
• Poetry
• 2011

When I think about my past, memories come...both good and bad. The journey I have been through, and the sacrifices I have made, I heard the boom, then a crash and a bang. My family hid under a wooden old stand.
I saw men with guns in their hands, but then they shot without a thought.
Mother said, "Quick, we must hurry!"
With each step I took, I heard a scream or shout of pain. Someone innocent risked their life, for a whole country. I saw my mother and father,emptying their pockets, to a man with an evil grin on his face.
He said, "What are you waiting for? Get in! "The devastation on my parents faces as I sailed away, right out of sight, on a cramped, wooden boat. And on that very same boat, I saw people like me. Some crying over loved ones, others sat in silence.
When I arrived at my destination, I thought to myself: Am I safe? Where do I stay? What's going to happen now? When I got out of the old, wooden boat I suddenly realised the answers to my questions.
They pushed and shoved me into a strange place, with kids my age sobbing with pain. There were fences all around me, I had nowhere to run. I still remain in the same Detention Centre, with the same people and more each day. Sometimes, I see people let free. Oh, someday I wish it will be me.