In the Land of the Free
Escaping grinding poverty
And violent crimes
You left scant existence
Holding your Dad's hand
In the middle of the night
Going on a long journey
Dreaming of a free land
Miles and miles you walked
Learning for the first time
Price of liberty is high
As you trekked along
More than thousand miles
Exhausted by heat and humidity
Hungry and thirsty you got
But you didn't mind
Marching for a cause
Approaching the border
Happily you sighed
When strangers fed you
Tortillas, beans, and rice
But things soon changed
As borders got closed
Even for asylum claims
Clueless of what that meant
You sought refuge
In your Dad's judgment
Finding a way in
Surrendering yourself
As they took Dad away
Without a hug or goodbye
Ignoring your cries
Being in detention now
Affection you longed for
Yet you carried on
Searching grown up faces
For any sign of Dad
As days and weeks passed
Till you lost your resolve
When two kids in custody died
Paying the ultimate price
And yielding to anguish
Relentlessly you cried
Unable to think or breathe
Wanting to scream loudly
But choking on your grief
No one has told you yet
Your father's whereabouts
As you wait and wait
Learning day by day
In the land of the free
What misery feels like
To a destitute child
December 31, 2018
Placed 3rd..Misery poetry contest by Edward Ibeh
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