Lies

The lies he told
to remain in the Christmas Island
to stay in a foreign land
labeled as a refugee

He told the officers
that he was homosexual
a Christian,
a Muslim hater

Five years
he had been in a refugee process centre
learned to speak English
to play the guitar

And yet
the paperwork had not come
he would have to be sent back
to his homeland
where he witnessed
his father and brother’s limbs
being blown up
his mother trapped in the burning thatched house

He gathered all the courage left
in his fragmented heart
let the bleach burn his esophagus
He felt the flame and the heat
just like the bombed house fire

In the end
his desperate bravery
granted him a bridging visa
on medical grounds

He learned to play the guitar
with a voice to sing no more
He sleeped with
his plastic special passport
undeaneath his pillow

He still lied about
being homosexual
a Christian
a Muslim hater
just in case
Immigration sent him back
to a place with hellish furnace

Author: Cassa Bassa

🇦🇺🇨🇳 inquisitive, observant, witty, a thinker, was a misfit child 😊 View all posts by Cassa Bassa

10 thoughts on “Lies”

Cassa this is very emotional grabbing and heartbreaking. I hope this is fiction. If not how sad and broken like so much of our world.
Sending you love. 🤗💕❤️🦋Joni

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Cassa Bassa says:

Jan 11, 2021 at 11:29 am

Sadly it is a true story (i modified a bit for privacy of the refugee).

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