WELCOME, DEAR READER! IT’S TIME TO BEGIN,
A TALE OF ESCAPE, WHERE HOPE GIVES IN.
YOU’RE SEEKING A HOME, A PLACE SAFE AND FREE,
BUT CHOICES ARE FEW, AS YOU’LL SOON COME TO SEE.
TURN TO PAGE ONE, OR SKIP TO PAGE TWO,
IT WON’T REALLY MATTER, THE END’S SET FOR YOU.
PAGE 1: WHERE DOES YOUR JOURNEY BEGIN?
You wake up to the sound of explosions outside,
Shaking the walls of the house where you hide.
The streets are in ruins, the food has run dry,
The sky filled with smoke as the warplanes fly.
You’ve lost too much already, your family, your friends,
How long will you wait for the fighting to end?
Do you stay where you are, where danger is near?
Or do you take flight, escape from the fear?
• Turn to PAGE 3 if you try now to flee
And leave everything in search of being free.
• Turn to PAGE 4 if you choose now to stay,
Though with the conflict you’ll succumb to decay
PAGE 2: THE DISCLAIMER
Before you continue, be warned of your fate,
For the roads ahead lead to walls and to gates.
The choices you make may seem open and free,
But freedom’s a privilege, not given to thee.
The borders are locked, the crossings are barred,
And justice is measured by skin that is scarred.
The language of safety is twisted and blurred,
Spoken in policies empty of words.
But go on, dear traveller, for you must decide,
Though none of these pathways are open or wide.
Turn back to PAGE 1 if you wish to begin,
Or skip to PAGE 5 if you flee with the wind.
PAGE 3: ESCAPING THE NIGHT – A RISKY DECISION
You pack up in silence, you gather what’s left,
You take only memories, leave behind death.
You follow the whispers, the rumours are clear,
There’s a boat at the docks, and it’s leaving from here.
The smugglers demand a fortune for space,
But what is a price when there’s no other place?
The boat is too crowded, the sea is too wild,
But staying behind means losing your child.
The engine ignites, the ropes are untied,
The journey is long, just waves and the tide.
You pray for a future, you cling to the mast,
But the storms roll in, the winds blow fast.
• Turn to PAGE 5 if the boat stays afloat,
And the waters permit you to chase after hope.
• Turn to PAGE 6 if the ocean decides
That this is your end, and where you’ll reside.
PAGE 4: CHOOSING TO STAY – BUT CAN YOU SURVIVE?
You tell yourself, Maybe the war will subside,
Maybe the world will look at our side.
But peace never comes to the places that burn,
And justice is something the powerful spurn.
The soldiers arrive before dawn paints the sky,
They bang on the door, you barely ask why.
They pull you away, they silence your screams,
You vanish from life, erased like a dream.
This story ends here, in a grave with no name,
Where silence is louder than fortune or fame.
For some never make it, for some never leave,
For some are forgotten, their pain unperceived.
THE END.
PAGE 5: THE BOAT STAYS AFLOAT – BUT WHERE DOES IT LAND?
The sea is relentless, but somehow you last,
The waves push you forward, the storm drifts past.
Land comes in sight, the journey is done,
But freedom is farther than oceans you’ve run.
The men stand in waiting, the uniforms cold,
The words that they tell you rehearsed and controlled.
You plead for asylum, they sneer at your skin,
They tell you that safety is not theirs to give in.
The law is a weapon, the borders are steel,
They brand you as “illegal” for seeking to heal.
The choice isn’t yours, the rules have been made,
And fate is decided in deals that were paid.
• Turn to PAGE 7 if they send you to camp,
Where walls stretch for miles and hope is now clamped
• Turn to PAGE 8 if they put you on planes,
And send you straight back to the place whence you came.
PAGE 6: THE BOAT CAPSISES – LOST TO THE SEA
The storm is too vicious, the water too black,
The boat tilts too far and never tilts back.
You reach for a hand, you reach for the sky,
But salt fills your lungs, and the waves drag you high.
The ocean is ruthless, it cares not for pain,
It carries the stories the world won’t retain.
You sink with the rest, no names, no cries,
Just another lost body beneath foreign skies.
No country will grieve, no paper will tell,
Just numbers in data where nameless ones dwell.
The leaders will say “We stopped them from harm,”
While waters still whisper the ones they disarmed.
This journey is over, there’s nothing ahead,
For many like you, the sea is their bed.
THE END.
PAGE 7: SENT TO DETENTION – WELCOME TO LIMBO
You’re placed in a cell, you sleep on the floor,
The fences rise higher than ever before.
The months become years, the years stretch like chains,
You live, but you suffer, in silence and pain.
They tell you to wait, they tell you to trust,
But hope is a burden that’s covered in rust.
No trial, no hearing, no law in your name,
Just waiting, just waiting, the rules stay the same.
• Turn to PAGE 9 if you try to escape,
If you run for the fences despite what’s at stake.
• Turn to PAGE 10 if you sit there and pray
That mercy might come, though it’s years too delayed.
PAGE 8: DEPORTED BACK – THE CYCLE BEGINS AGAIN
The plane touches down, the city still burns,
The war never ended, the leaders still turn.
The borders rejected, the papers denied,
And here you are left with nowhere to hide.
You tried for a future, you fled from the past,
But some doors don’t open, some walls are too vast.
The hands of the powerful made their decree,
You do not belong, you shall not be free.
This chapter is over, the story repeats,
The cycle of exile forever defeats.
THE END.
PAGE 9: ATTEMPTING ESCAPE – BUT THERE IS NO WAY OUT
You run for the fences, you climb through the dark,
You slip past the guards, you make a new mark.
The wind at your back, the moon shining bright,
Freedom is close, it’s there in your sight!
A siren goes off, the bullets are fired,
You collapse in the dirt, your body grows tired.
They drag you back, they add on more years,
Your dream of escape is drowned in your tears.
• Turn to PAGE 10 if you wait once again,
For hope is the lie they keep selling to men.
PAGE 10: WAITING FOR FREEDOM – BUT IT NEVER ARRIVES
Days turn to months, months turn to years,
The walls stay the same, your hope disappears.
Your name is forgotten, your papers are lost,
You’ve paid for existence, but what was the cost?
One day, they tell you, “Your case was reviewed!”
But freedom’s denied, your hope misconstrued.
You rot in detention, you wither, you fade,
And soon, like the others, you’re simply erased.
This is the ending, this is the tale,
Of policies written where justice must fail.
THE END.
FINAL PAGE: THE REAL STORY CONTINUES
“THERE IS NO CHOICE WHEN JUSTICE IS DENIED.”
“THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM A BORDER DESIGNED.”
“THERE IS NO FREEDOM WHEN POLICY WINS.”
“THERE IS NO END UNTIL CHANGE BEGINS.”
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
A worrying and indeed disgusting critic of Australian immigration policy especially where that policy applies in countries that have been invaded by Australian personnel.
There is a moral demand for refugees to be treated fairly and generously by others when seeking asylum from possible death or torture. Indeed, Christian philosophy says so, but few ”Christian” politicians recognise this fact when in Parliament.
The ruthless pursuit of kids by Boofhead Duddo when Immigration Minister demonstrates to Blind Freddie that he is completely unfit for any political office anywhere.