A dead stranger in a strange land

One of the most heartbreaking messages in the death of 39 migrants in the back of a trailer was from Ms Tra My. Her family have shared texts she sent to her parents which translated read: "I am really, really sorry, Mum and Dad, my trip to a foreign land has failed. I am dying, I can't breathe. I love you very much Mum and Dad. I am sorry, Mother."

One of the ironies is that the police will do everything they can to bring the traffickers to justice, but had she come into the UK and survived, she would have been pilloried as an illegal immigrant.

There's a disconnect between how we view the victims of this tragedy, and how they are often viewed otherwise, and that's something I explore in this poem.

A dead stranger in a strange land

39 dead migrants, and it lays bare the lie
Take back control, make borders secure
And yet they come, even come to die
After many travails, so much to endure

Beer and cigarette man says keep them out
Or send them back; they don’t belong here
An arrogance of certainty, complete lack of doubt
And so the barricades go up, built of fear

These were human beings, like you and me
Fleeing from persecution, escaping strife
Do not close your eyes, but pray and see
Reach out in kindness, and save a life

One day the sea-saw may swing the other way
And the West will face its own judgement day