When you told me the story
I could see the fire in your eyes.
How do you live with those memories?
How do you push all that
to the back of your mind
and move to another land
where you’re hated and vilified
simply for being who you are,
by people who have no idea
of what happened to you,
to your family who you left behind –
dead in the city which was once your home

copyright Francis Barker 2019