The Letter
We have had the joy of seeing many of our clients receive Leave to Remain in the UK recently as the government have begun to deal with their huge backlog of unresolved legacy cases. After years of destitution, these men and women have finally been given the chance to build a life for themselves in the UK. Boaz Trust Director, Dave Smith, was inspired to write a poem about this life transforming decision:
Today the letter came.
Today you came in to the office,
with the letter,
smiling,
no longer the same.
I have seen you smile before:
not often, in the last six years of waiting,
and always wistfully,
always tinged with sadness,
always hiding the hurt beneath.
But today
because of the letter
your smile was wide,
your hug intense
your brow unfurrowed,
your frown unfurled,
your worry-lines ironed out,
you eyes alive with light -
all because of the letter.
If only they understood
what the letter means to you,
and thousands like you.
If only they understood
why you were willing to suspend your life
indefinitely
until the letter came.
I wish I could frame your smile,
bottle your new, light heart,
capture in print your unburdened soul,
and send them a copy.
Maybe then they would understand
that you are not, and never were
a number to be counted
a statistic to be quoted
an inconvenience to be ignored,
but a living being
a daughter
a mother
a sister
a friend
and most of all,
a child of God.
And today,
as you smiled your freedom smile
I could see, almost for the first time
the image of your creator
that the letter had
at last
released.
Sue Morgan
July 21, 2010
Oh Dave, this is so beautiful ….. so true …… yet so very very sad. I am waiting with a guy I am supporting for this very same letter which would transform his life in just this way. I pray that it comes ……
jim holloway
July 21, 2010
You may not have captured the smile, but you definitely captured something. With your permission I would like to forward this (with link back here of course)
Renee
August 23, 2010
Thank you for such a wonderful poem. I received such a letter three weeks ago, and yes, my smile was no longer tinged with sadness. I have now found a job and will also draw alongside those who are destitute foreigners in this country. May God bless you abundantly