<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">Refugees</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">Someone else’s little boy</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">walking immediately behind</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">I arrive at the final check point</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">am insistently waved through</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">I want nothing more in the world</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">only to simply cross over</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">Certainly not change to salt</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">looking back at the child</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">All I have left to me is</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">my ability to rationalize</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">At best for me on the other side</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">stretch twenty declining years</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">seventy or eighty for him</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">But I am not this child’s keeper am I</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">He has my sympathy: From him I have</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">the burn of his eyes on my reddening neck</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">all the more so as I admit to myself</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">I am not helpless before this determined little kid</span></div><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span class="s1"> </span></p><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">Here in the presence of real human suffering</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1">All I have left: clear choice and ability to justify</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Ed Coletti</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div></body></html>