Too often, refugees are spoken about as statistics, burdens, or headlines, rather than people whose lives, professions, and identities have been disrupted by war and survival. Refugee Week means a great deal to me because I understand what it means to rebuild, adapt, and hold onto hope through impossible circumstances. I wanted this poem to challenge harmful stereotypes and remind people of the humanity, quiet courage, and resilience behind the word “refugee” - people simply trying to rebuild a life with dignity.

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Refugee by Tahsan

They say refugee
like it is a choice.

Like a man studies the skies for twenty years
dreaming one day
he might exchange the cockpit
for traffic lights
and passenger ratings.

Like a woman dedicates her life
to serving her country
only to find her qualifications
become invisible
the moment she crosses a border.

They did not leave for adventure.
They left because war arrived first.

Because sometimes the choice is not
stay or go.

Sometimes the choice is
leave
or bury your children.

A pilot drives strangers through cities
he barely knows.
Doctors wash dishes.
Teachers stack shelves.
Engineers deliver takeaway meals
through streets they still cannot pronounce.

Not because they are lazy.
Not because they are taking advantage.

Because survival does not care
who you once were.

They do not see what it means
to become invisible
inside a language
you cannot yet defend yourself in.

And there is courage in that.