A Universal Gut-Wrenching Fear

by Catherine Weiskopf

The thing I fear the most has happened,
not to me but to others.
I fear losing my children:
having her ripped from my arms,
seeing him disappear from sight.
How would I survive not knowing where she is,
not knowing who cares for him.
A universal gut-wrenching fear.

If my children were in danger in my neighborhood,
in my city,
in my country,
I would do anything to make their lives better.

Refugees have done the same.
They are not guilty of endangering their children.
They are guilty of self-sacrificing love.

No matter their effort,
No matter their love,
the thing they fear the most has happened.
After traveling for thousands of miles for a better life for their children,
their children have been ripped from their arms,
and they don’t know where they are,
they don’t know who cares for them.

This universal gut-wrenching fear is now their reality.