Skinny dark and handsome,
Mucky-bright and troublesome,
Giddy, and full of fun,
Dusty foot, Desert child
Half naked, running wild.

Then, came the move
Tame the lion, city life
Schooling, for a better life.

Then horror,
with a volley and crackle
And thunder,
Tribal feud, tearing hearts asunder
Time to flee

Back of a Hilux jumping borders,
Refugees,
A childhood memory
Seen as mean by me
From foot to camel to truck to plane
Safety has been ascertained
Acclimatised and mingled into
This here foreign place.

Years have passed,
Life has changed,
Wounds have healed,
and I’m no longer mean,
I am me.