After that night
A spark of police flairs
And teargas
Bombs,
The night lit up
Like midday.
Another “migrant,”
Helpless,
Is harmed
By
The chemicals
Mixing
Diesel and Seawater
A toxic, fiery combination
On your exposed skin.
But now you are “home.”
A temporary
Welcome
Fragile,
Like the walls
You cling to
With open palms
You stumbled
Like a drunk woman.
As the ground appeared to sway,
Clinging to the yellow wall.
“Let me help,”
All I could say.
“No,”
You sternly replied,
“I must do this.”
Gingerly stepping
Lightly planting
Each foot
One in front of the other.
You held back tears,
Laughing
Crying
Pretending.
I followed,
Laughing
Worried
We both pretended.
“Have you seen my burns?”
You ask.
Dropping into a seat,
You open the video.
And show me.
And there I see
skin peeling,
blistered,
raw from the chemical burns.
And you are
Laughing
Crying
Pretending
As you show me.
They say
You are
A threat
To Society.
But to me
You are
A threat
To my
Prejudices
The people
Must
know
And be
Threatened.
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