Our people have become ‘them.’
We sent them away.
They were sent away.
Or they left of their own accord; to London, Melbourne, Montreal or Istanbul…
They left a homeland behind.
Those living in their homeland became ‘us’; they themselves became ‘them.’
But ‘they’ could never quite become ‘them.’
No matter how much they were excluded, they never severed their ties with their homeland…
They came and went; they trudged along its chaotic roads.
They acquired property; more often than not, their homeland’s own children deceived them.
They did not give up or turn their backs on their homeland!
They came again, and once again bought land in their homeland…
For years, their homeland was discussed around the table.
Those who made them ‘them’ did not tell them what was being discussed…
To find out what was being said about the land they had been forced to leave, the land they called home, they practically pressed glasses against the walls.
They could not find out; they were not meant to…
“You have no say in this,” they were told.
“You are them,” they were told.
Even though they refused to accept that they were ‘them’…
This refusal to accept it made ‘them’ dreamers; now they want a say.
Those who made them ‘them’ may not allow it, but they keep insisting…
Because they are worried about the homeland they left behind, and, sadly, they cannot obtain the authority they are “entitled to”—the authority that could ease their concerns.
‘They’ are not given the right to representation…
If you were one of ‘them,’ what would you think?
Have you ever been ‘them’ among ‘us’?
Have you ever been persistently treated as an outsider?
Have you ever felt that you were not wanted in your homeland?
What have you done so far for your spouse, friends and relatives who live over there and are now ‘them’?
Hoping we meet again in the days when we are ‘us’…
Be mindful of your surroundings, keep them clean, and please be respectful in traffic!