America
The place where every one comes from someplace else
Where dreams are harvested through slivers of light
Where the sky is not on fire
and dreams are not a prayer for the dead
Through deserts, over mountains, in locked vans
They come
As our parents came
Escaping the savagery of a world once loved
Hunted
They wander through minefields
Navigating roads not on the map
turning endlessly
in circles that go nowhere
terrified of what blind corners will bring
Haunted
by those left behind
by those who could not come
They risk all
Seeking refuge
A place to sleep undisturbed
A place for their children to grow without fear
A place to disappear into safety
Until the hard lessons of a new world is learned
Overcoming the threat of those
who see danger in what they carry

Using sacred wisdom
songs of the heart
learned as children
They solve the contradictions of a strange new place
and forge an identity
making them visible
part of the tapestry we call America
Designing a future of their own

We are all mirrors of the past
Our blood mixed together
Our history separate but one
We refugees
We are America

Barry Slavis is a former social worker who now helps refugees become U.S. citizens. Both of his grandparents came from Russia and imprinted on him the struggles and challenges of moving to a new country. He is a proud member of WFOP.