The Refugee

Imagine you’re standing in a large open field under a suddenly darkened cloudy sky. All of a sudden….BOOM!!! Deafening thunder followed by massive lightning reaching from the sky like a neon skeletal claw grabbing at anything within reach, scorching the field just inches from where you are. This has happened many times before, you know what comes next.

Here comes the rain falling in sheets and wind that blows it sideways. You look in the distance and see shelter. A small wooden cabin. Desperately, you run as fast as you can against the wind and sheets of rain. It takes all your strength, going against the grain, taking the hardest path but if you stop, you will be burned alive, if you open your mouth too wide, you’ll swallow enough rain water to drown you standing up.

Another massive streak of lightning just misses you but you’re closer to the cabin now and you feel strong because you can see shelter. You get to the cabin and to your surprise it’s open!

When you get in, there are others huddled together. They make room for you and wrap their arms around you. They know what you’ve been through. You feel safer than you did outside.

The storm passes as quickly as it came and sunlight streams in through the cracks in the wood. If you leave through the door you came in, you know another storm is inevitable. You can’t go through that again. There’s another door on the other side of the cabin. One you didn’t see before.

You’re unsure of what’s out there but the people you’re with assure you it can’t be worse then where you were. You take comfort, they know what they’re talking about. You feel hopeful and warm. You’ll all go together.

You open the door and step outside….BOOM!!!

Just trying to imagine what someone crossing our border only to be detained in worse conditions than our prisons must feel like. I tried to imagine holding a baby or if you’re like me and don’t have children, your pet or your elderly family member who can’t run as fast but I can’t. It’s too painful.