Vacations in Paradise
I have committed no crime
Yet you have tagged me a criminal.
My hands are in cuffs for a crime
That I never committed
And yet, you have dragged me like an animal —
Across the streets while people stoned me.
Just kill me, why humiliate me?
Even if I'm found innocent, you'll still torment me.
I've been cast away like a child without a mother,
My own people forsook me and they speak of me like a taboo.
You have banished me from my roots,
You have soiled my name for my descendants,
You didn't oust me alone, but also my children from their roots.
It's been two months now, I'm alone with a few other castaways
On this barren and deserted land;
A land without milk and honey
Just rocks, rivers and fresh air-
An air that comforts us sinners and sings us a melody,
A place that has welcomed us and we have become one with.
What you meant for punishment
Has become my blessing, our blessings.
A new family, a new people, a new community;
There is no castaway here, just happy people.
We have built a fortress and made it our paradise,
In a few years, you'll come here with yours for vacations;
Vacations in the land of castaways.
©Iyere Perpetual
American writer
23rd June, 2024.
For books on mindset growth, religion and faith, relationships and personal development, you are probably now familiar with Shawnsbookstore.
This poem was born from a movie (Missing Crown Prince) but what stood out for me was that Jeju Island in Korea used to be a place for exiles, just like how Australia used to be (based on a book from Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series) but now, it’s a beautiful place.
P.S: I hope you make light of your bad days because good days will come.
