Refugee



Refugee
by Max Burchett


I met a man, homeless he said.
Home was wherever he stood.
He had no house, no doors, no locks,
As long as there were sidewalks,
That was his bed.
There he laid his head.

Every day I see, wondering what to do.
Then it came to me.
He was a refugee,
In his own country,
My home too.
How can that be?

Him, and many more,
Living a life on the run.
War refugees, fleeing wars in their minds
Or brutal lives left behind.
Strange, but at the same time,
Still prisoners of war.

Prisoners held captive by relentless foes,
Prisoners held in chains,
By enemies who are their best friends
In their veins and in their drinks.
No prisoner exchange possible.
No way out.

Refugees in their own country,
Existing really not living.
How can that be?
It always was, will it always be?
So strange to me.
Does it have to be?

I prefer to dream
Things that never were
And ask why not.
But answers are not clear,
More homes perhaps, or not.
Just temporary shelters, perhaps a start.

No one knows it seems
How they can win their wars.
Hope they can!
Hope though is not a word they know.
How can they wrestle free
Of demons who have a hold.

Sad, but I do not know,
No others have found a way
To rescue these lost souls.
I repeat to myself, try we must,
Defeat the things destroying these refugees,
Long time fleeing a certain death.

Perhaps one uncertain plan
That still must be tried
Is to find some ways
To prevent more from falling in
The hellish pit of sufferin’
That is the life of the homeless refugee.

How I ask, still do not know
Somehow to save, mental help possibly.
Guidance on life’s paths
Break the chain of brutal family life.
Save more going the way
Of the homeless refugee.
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Written on 2022

Submitted by MaxwellBurchett on October 28, 2023

Modified by MaxwellBurchett on October 28, 2023

1:53 min read
1,032

Quick analysis:

Scheme ax bxxxbb caaacA dexxxd xxxxxx axAaaa xxfxfx xxghax hixxxx gxxxea haxxia
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,702
Words 377
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 2, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Maxwell Sebastian Burchett

Maxwell "Max" Sebastian Burchett is president of the charity Golden Hearts that provides support to Ukrainian war refugees. He originated the "Good Day" concept and is leading the campaign to establish "Good Day" as a designated day, nationally recognized as "a day for doing a little extra good." Max is a singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas. His poems "Until Then" and "I Dream" have been used as lyrics in pop songs of the same names (https://soundcloud.com/maxburchett/i-dream). His music and writing were featured on UK Talk Radio and on their website (https://uktalkradio.org/max-burchett-dog-days/). His writing interests include fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Most recently Max has included in his poetry and non-fiction publications themes developed from his work with Ukrainian war refugees. His poetry style has been influenced by the greats, including Frost, Elliot, Poe and Whitman. Max's short story “Covid Love” was featured in the July 2023, 111th issue of 34thParallel Magazine (https://www.34thparallel.net/34mag-111.html) and his "New Frontiers" poetry trilogy was featured in the October 2023 issue of INTERALIA Magazine (https://www.interaliamag.org/poetry/maxwell-sebastian-burchett-poems/). His romance mystery novel on post-Putin Russia “Red Star Rising” is releasing as serial episodes on Kindle and an anthology of his poems will be released later this year. and an anthology of his poems will be released later this year. Max's poems "Me to You" and "Three Whispered Words" are included in the anthology 'Is there Ever an End' published in November 2023 (https://www.amazon.com/There-Ever-End-Various/dp/B0CNZKNSN7). Max Burchett and his brother started delivering food and letters of encouragement to staff at local hospitals during covid, and that grew into the charity Golden Hearts. After covid the charity’s efforts were refocused on helping Ukrainian war refugees, and the homeless, who are basically refugees in their own country. His observations from work with war refugees and the homeless have led him to write stories and songs that attempt to convey the situation to a broader audience. more…

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