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Refuge

Level:

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

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