LES HENSONMay 22, 20201 min readWithout Reprieve (Poem)Les HensonMeandering thoughts filled the minds of the detainees as they stared into the deep shadows of the night.Locked down they questioned their reasoning for making the treacherous sea journey. Why did we take the risk of moving from turmoil to endless purgatory on the other side of the world?Why did we leave the hell we know to seek after hope when all we get in return is even greater desolation? Anguish persisted after yet further setbacks and delays in the processing of their paperwork.Asked the same endless questions over and over again they repeatedly answered without reprieve. How can we help them understand that we are not bad people only desperate, frightened people in need of refuge?How can we penetrate the overbearing, bureaucratic animosity that sees us as cue jumpers and illegal immigrants?
Les HensonMeandering thoughts filled the minds of the detainees as they stared into the deep shadows of the night.Locked down they questioned their reasoning for making the treacherous sea journey. Why did we take the risk of moving from turmoil to endless purgatory on the other side of the world?Why did we leave the hell we know to seek after hope when all we get in return is even greater desolation? Anguish persisted after yet further setbacks and delays in the processing of their paperwork.Asked the same endless questions over and over again they repeatedly answered without reprieve. How can we help them understand that we are not bad people only desperate, frightened people in need of refuge?How can we penetrate the overbearing, bureaucratic animosity that sees us as cue jumpers and illegal immigrants?
