Leave The Blanket Here

Poem for Refugee Week

Leave The Blanket Here
by Jay Rose Ana

Please place that blanket below my feet,
this soil beneath was never mine,
Would you allow me to sleep upon this street?
I would appreciate a little time.

I love the way these colours flow
And how the shapes show time and toil
There was a woman I used to know
I buried her beneath her soil.

I once had my own front door you know.
A kettle that whistled every morn.
A neighbour who nodded across the way.
A dog I loved since he was born.

Now I carry what is left of my life
in a pocket filled with names.
The places I loved they still exist,
but no longer answer the same.

I do not ask for anyone’s pity.
Pity cannot mend my shoe.
My life has come apart at the seams.
As you can see, I ask what can I do, for you?

I long for a place to rest without fear.
A table where one more chair is fine.
For someone nearby to want me here.
And one day earn something I might call mine.

I had no dreams of becoming a refugee.
I had no dreams of existing in war and fear.
Tomorrow I have big dreams I long to see.
But tonight please leave that blanket here.