A poem by Alberto Grajales García
Refugees or the Disavowed?
Someone asked the question:
Who are the refugees?
I still have not found an exact definition
I try to understand, they could be:
ignored survivors, transient beings with no destination,
wandering peasants with no land or plow,
stoic widows with dry eyes from so much crying,
children with adult baggage matured in adversity,
helpless citizens fleeing from a war
to preserve life…a primary and essential good,
disappointed youth seeking a better future
that do not accept weapons as their occupation
families plundered from their goods,
from their children and their serenity,
persecuted for their free conscience, for their free expression,
eternal victims of all the conflicts
that destroy countries since before we can remember
history repeated, cyclical violence,
Could that be them, maybe?
Foreign outsiders in intolerant societies
Rejected and stigmatized,
Food for hungry wolves
Easy targets for migration authorities
Disgustingly corrupt, that place traps
Or invent faults to extract money
Or pressure women demanding a sexual favor.
Sometimes they can be people considered undesirable
by the politicians in turn that deny asylum or brand distrust with a burning iron to hide
The lack of coherent rules when it comes to asylum and refuge,
Victims also of insensitive bureaucrats
That process their requests with disdain and apathetic slowness
Could that be them, maybe?
Uncomfortable citizens invisible to their government
Almost never mentioned in their reports,
Sources of income for some organisations
That only see in them a source for enriching themselves.
Refugees are human beings that suffer
That are sometimes denied their dignity and to be seen by a part of society
as marginal beings and due to their precarity
must beg for help, for work…
one opportunity
The question remains open
Who are the refugees?
If someone knows the answer it’s necessary to say it
millions of people will thank you.
¿Refugiados o Repudiadios?
Alguien hizo esta pregunta:
¿Quiénes son los refugiados?
Todavía no encuentro su exacta definición
Yo intento comprender, ellos podrían ser:
supervivientes ignorados, trashumantes sin destino,
campesinos errantes sin tierra ni arado,
viudas estoicas de ojos áridos por tanto llorar,
niños con carga de adulto madurados en la adversidad,
ciudadanos indefensos huyendo de una guerra
para conservar la vida... un bien prioritario y esencial,
jóvenes decepcionados buscadores de un mejor futuro
que no aceptan las armas como único oficio,
familias expoliadas de sus bienes,
de sus hijos y de su tranquilidad,
perseguidos por su libre conciencia
por su libre expresión,
victimas eternizadas de todos los conflictos
que asuelan los países desde que tenemos memoria,
historia repetida violencia cíclica,
¿Serán tal vez?
extranjeros advenedizos en sociedades intolerantes
rechazados y estigmatizados,
pasto de lobos hambrientos
comida fácil para autoridades migratorias
asquerosamente corruptas, que ponen trabas
o se inventan faltas para extraer dinero
o presionar a las mujeres exigiendo un favor sexual.
A veces podrían ser personas consideradas indeseables
para los políticos de turno que niegan el asilo o marcan con el hierro candente
de la desconfianza para esconder
la falta de reglas coherentes en materia de asilo y refugio,
victimas también de burócratas insensibles
que tramitan sus solicitudes
con desdén y displicente lentitud.
¿Serán tal vez?
ciudadanos incómodos invisibles para su gobierno
que casi nunca son mencionados en sus informes,
fuente de ingresos para algunas organizaciones
que solo ven en ellos una fuente para lucrarse,
los refugiados son seres humanos que sufren
que a veces son degradados en su dignidad y
son vistos por una parte de la sociedad
como seres marginales y debido a su precariedad
deben mendigar una ayuda, un trabajo...
una oportunidad
La pregunta aún está abierta
¿Quiénes son los refugiados?
sí alguien sabe la respuesta es necesario decirlo
millones de personas se lo agradecerán.
Alberto Grajales García (born in Neira, Caldas, Colombia) is a narrator and poet with a strong interest in social dynamics. He started writing at an early age, and entered poetry as a teenager. Creating narratives has been taking over most of his literary work. In his novels, short stories and stories for children, the characters are part of Colombia's urban experience in recent decades. He has lived in Colombia, Chile and Ecuador, and currently lives in Canada. The experiences in feelings expressed in this poem are based on his personal experiences, and the reason for writing it is to share them with others.