An evocative dark poem, by Emmie, exclusively for Different Truths.

Sea gusts pluck my hijab.
Sea spray soaks my face,
mingling with salt tears
flowing down apace.

They came for him at night.
My beloved.
Jack-booted, cash-carrying, rifle-armed thugs
with hate and death in their hooded eyes. 
For days I searched, seeking my loved one. 
Soul-numbing words bludgeoned my head.
“He is no more.”
Anguish tears, rips life apart.
Beatings and threats strike dread in my heart

Fear-fledged feathers wing me away,
smugglers-prey, down highways and
bye-ways, to pebble-laced beach.
Frail craft bobs on obsidian sea.
Waiting.
Torchlit terror-stricken faces peer out.
Orange jacket bodies rammed in tight.
Courage fails me.
Terror laps around my ankles,
sucking life, crushing hope.

Yet.
There is no choice.
Risk death at sea
or face death on land.
I climb aboard.
Darkness suffocates.

Now.
A new day gleams, silvery
sliver of sand welcomes,
offering sanctuary to weary souls.
Hopes soar even as tears fall afresh,
Scalding
stinging eyes and roughened cheeks.

Heart breaks. Mourning
Lost Love
Lost Life
Lost Land. 

Exiled!

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Emmie Blake

Emmie Blake, penname of Margaret Blake, is an ordained minister in the Anglican church. Her writing embraces both fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose. She has had stories and poems published in anthologies in the UK, India and Online. In her work with the Aspiring Writers Society, she co-edited their anthology (2024). She is currently working on her debut novel: One More Step.

See Full Bio