Bodies and souls from
distraught lands shell out
thirty pieces of silver
to ride the waves to freedom.
Finding too late
that they have
paid the price of their
own betrayal,
overfilled, leaky craft
capsize, spilling warm blooded
cargo into cold blue seas
Souls float above
Broken bodies float below.
Some, still alive grab onto bits
and pieces of their dream
long enough for
those few who care to
to reach them, pull them out, —
But it is not well.
No, it is not well for their souls
nor for ours.
© 2019, Joan Leotta
JOAN LEOTTA plays with words on page and stage. Her essays, articles, books, and poems have been published in US and UK and elsewhere–The Ekphrastic Review, A-3 Review, skirt, Sasee, The Lake, Tiger (winner of one month’s contest), Pine Song, and many others. She performs folk and personal tales of food ,family, nature, and strong women at festivals, in schools, libraries, and museums. She is developing a one-woman show based on Louisa May Alcott’s time as a Civil War nurse. When not at computer or treading the boards, she can often be found walking the beach hunting for seashells.
The BeZine 
My heart aches for those who give up everything, risk everything, just to find a better life. I still remember stories like the one of the toddler found on the beach and it breaks my heart again. They do not even realize how much hate is often waiting for them if and when they make landfall. Sometimes I wonder if the ones claimed by the seas are the lucky ones. I’d like to think that they all have an equal chance to make a better life for themselves and their families, wherever they end up. This was a stirring piece. Thank you for sharing it with us!
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