Fight for Survival

I am lost, adrift, and helpless

somewhere in the Atlantic sea.

I am not in the comfort of my home;

I am not with my family.

Off-course in the Atlantic sea

So lonely, I feel isolated.

My family was wrenched away from me

No scent of vanilla; they now call me a ‘refugee.’

Isolation strangles me on this boat

On a small, red boat, spilling over

As a shiver runs down my spine,

I hug my knees; I pretend this is a dream.

On an unstable boat, this crowd is suffocating me

I am on the edge of the vessel

Attempting to stay adrift on the the roaring sea

Though, this restless giant is endless, filled with energy

I look down into the abyss, am leaning o’er the edge of the boat

I think of my sister while hugging her coat.

Taken are the lifejackets, no mace in my hand

For the restless giant, be damned.

There are no more lifejackets left

I see no rations, my insides burn

Don’t think I'll get to see my sister again

A wish upon a star is all I can discern.

I see no rations, my stomach grumbles. 

Starvation is creeping up on me

I wish upon the only star in the sky

I will survive this and go back home,  be free.

Starvation slowly creeps up on me, 

I hold my stomach in tight

I see a woman with a piece of brown bread

the answer to my survival, my guiding light.

I see a woman with a piece of brown bread

I will grasp onto it, otherwise I will die.

But it rocks from left to right. It’s no use-

I am no baby, and this is no lullaby.

I push through the army of waves

My legs crumble, my hands won’t latch onto anything

I steady myself on the rocking boat. 

This is no fairytale with a happy ending.

I fall down, my grip slips away

Lightning flashes through endless dark clouds

The bread falls into the abyss, 

to where the sharks lie in wait. 

Lightning flashes through the dark clouds

My throat is dry, I need water, I need food.

My only wish will never come true

I laugh, now what is there to lose?

My throat is dry, I need help

The ocean, it’s like it wants to vex me

The boat trembles as I pray for this to end

‘Please foamy, white froth, let me be’. 

Blue ocean is raging at us 

Chaos and screaming in all four corners

Froth all around us, my chest is getting tighter

I am stuck in a suffocating boat, who are all these foreigners?

Ear-blasting noises and shouts, 

I can’t hear my own thoughts

No place for anyone to stand alone

My vision is blurry, I don’t want to be on my own

A snake pit, like an inferno,

nothing can bring this down

I am tired, crushed, and completely helpless

Can I take a dive? Can I drown?

I am helpless, adrift

My fight for survival is almost over

I kneel down, my head is low.

I realise now, I am an exile finding a home.

My fight for survival is over

I am weak, frail. I’m a little girl but I forget.

Nothing could efface this traumatic experience

I am lost, adrift, and completely helpless.