Today we want to share with you a unique poem written by Jason Fotso, a young man from the USA. He wrote this dual perspective piece entitled “Refuge” when he was 18 and saw the anti-refugee sentiments growing in his country.
You can read the poem in two directions(literally!) - from the top and from the bottom and we really encourage you to do so and see the difference.
Here is the poem:
(Follow the punctuation, ignore the spacing.)
Turn away the refugees.
We will not
open up
our homes and hearts
for
children.
Close our doors on
the weak.
Only
fear behind
our
love can put
strength in our
hands.
We cannot let them bleed into our
nation.
They share the blood of our
enemy.
Our own
are endangered by
the refugees.
We have forgotten
the words that
the Statue of Liberty shines.
In this darkest hour,
terror
stands stronger than
our people
of
power.
This
fear
conquers
the home of the brave.
TIP: Read the sentences as it is, but from bottom to top