They Walk

They Walk

They walk forward with hope.

They walk away from pain and fear.

Horrors that haunt their dreams – they must escape.

Corrupt governments. Gangs of cruelty. Drug traffickers.

Children are not immune. They have been, and will be, tortured in front of their parents.

Some walk with holes in their hearts, loved ones lost.

Some walk with holes in their shoes. Or no shoes.

Some walk with their own scars.

With plastic bags holding all they own, they walk.

With children on their shoulders, they walk.

Thousands of people walk for thousands of miles. With hope. With relief to be leaving the horror and fear.

They are overwhelmingly Christian. They are Catholic and Protestant.

They are leaving their churches but taking their faith.

They pray to the God I pray to.

They sing the hymns I sing.

They want the safety I take for granted every day.

I wonder how heavy a baby feels in her mother’s arms mile after mile after mile.

They are out of their country and away from their fears. They are away from corruption.

But they are walking to my country and I have great fears for them.

Because we have a cruel fool for a President. We have corruption everywhere. There is not a lot of hope for anyone who is walking here. The President is a maniacal liar and gleefully uses “the least these” for campaign-rally fuel.

His followers walk around in hate-filled ignorance.

Our Secretary of Homeland Security says there are no plans to shoot immigrants. Yet.

The military is on the way to the border. The military. Because moms and dads and children are so threatening.

Children are not immune. They have been, and will be, tortured in front of their parents. We lock babies in cages in my country. We rip them out of their mothers’ arms in my country. We lock children in refugee camps in my country. We separate families in my country. Innocent families.

So, there will be new horrors. New nightmares. New scars.

Who will hear their prayers? Who will wipe their tears? Where will they find safety? Who will help them sing again?

My country is going to have a vote soon. The majority of people in my country want different leadership and a sensible government. We want all people to be treated with honor and respect. We want a government that helps other governments who are troubled so that people don’t need to flee. 

We want a government that cares for “the least of these” here, and everywhere. We want a government that is colorblind, inclusive, supportive, and thoughtful.

I can rampage all I want. But my feet aren’t worn out from walking thousands of miles. My possessions would not fit in a plastic bag. I have an overabundance of “stuff.” I can pray and sing and live without fearing for my life.

Most of all, I can vote.

And I will. 

I will vote for the desperate and hopeful immigrants.

Because they walk.


"We will walk with each other, we will walk side by side. 
We will walk with each other, we will walk side by side.

And we'll guard each one's dignity, and save each one's pride.
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.
Ant they'll know we are Christians by our love."