Freedom Land

He clutched her by the border.

She could barely hold his hand.

He looked up at his mother.

He didn’t understand.

She was a little weary and tired from the unplanned trip.

He was a little nervous about them suddenly having to split.

She told him it would be better after walking through the town.

But he wasn’t really sure when he saw the horses hit the ground.

He wished for a sense of peace and prayed for a sense of calm.

His mother would just rub his back and tell him it wouldn’t be long.

He looked at those around him

and wondered if they to

had made a sudden journey in order to pursue

a better life than they had endured in their former years,

one free from the threat of violence, misery, and tears.

A woman soon approached him.

She was gentle, and she was swift.

She ushered both his mother and him past the dangerous men on shift.

She promised she would help them.

She said they must go fast.

She said her ability to intervene would only be by chance.

He hoped that the woman was right

and held tight onto his mother’s hand.

The line that would give them freedom

might be closer than he planned.

It was a sudden journey.

It all came and went in a blur,

but five years later, they had a house,

and his mother had become an entrepreneur.

The boy looked around him

enjoying the sense of calm,

and remembered his vivid trip

as they ran away from the hostility and bombs.

He looked up at his mother.

She would always hold his hand,

and tell him about the journey

that got them to the freedom land.