I Have Left Behind Poem by Nhuan Xuan Le

I have left my children to save my own hide
While I could not have prepared them for life
With their kids nobody knows what would betide
To their future and towards which how to strive.



I have left my property that from sweat flowed,
But the thugs appropriated and refused to return.
They claimed over my body, the debt never-owed
And the sharp practices they forced me to learn.



I have left my poor people unfortunate and unable,
Wiped out of intelligence and wise scrutiny,
In a war-torn country which the traitors disable,
Squandering resources and missing any opportunity.



I have left behind my past but not for it to pass
Because I never forget or deny its persistence.
To head for a better tomorrow I have to amass
All experiences that are part of my existence.



I have left them for this Land of Promises full
And advantageous for my dreams to come true,
Not only to free myself, out of misery to pull,
But also to claim for my compatriots their due.