O What Shall We Do

This reflects my views on the Syrian refugee crisis and refugees in general. Each verse is composed of a 5-7-5 haiku.

A destructive war,

Millions who lost their homes,

Who will help them?

 

They flee the country.

Men, women, and young children,

Wander without hope.

 

A deadly attack,

By an enemy unseen.

Distrust of them grows.

 

Still, in droves they flee,

Looking for hope and safety,

All stereotyped.

 

We mourn the victims,

And the blame placed on their group,

Their faith and origins.

 

Politics then links,

Each individual one,

As a threat to us.

 

States close their borders,

Too afraid to take the chance,

To help these people.

 

Some have ruined all,

Few changing our view of them,

We will not help them.

 

Why don’t we help them?

Words written within our great symbol,

As she greets them all.

 

“Give us all who weep,

Who are in pain and can’t stand,

And we will take them.”

 

We are liberty,

Freedom and safety for all.

We must help them.

 

 

 

Some must be watched,

The threat may be among them,

But not all are so.

 

Let us take them in,

The women, men, and children.

Show them who we are.

 

Show them who we are,

That we will not turn our backs,

In their hour of need.

 

For if we do not,

And our fears overtake us,

The attackers win.

 

So let us be brave,

And dare to do what is right,

And dare to give aid.

 

Let us be kind,

And show what our country is,

A beacon of light,

To all.

Author's Note

It is vague on purpose, focus on the style and how well the poem conveys the ideas rather than the position of the poem itself.