Torn Poem by Leandra Gebrakedan

Torn

Never have I been so torn
Since a baby I was born

Dual heritage/Mixed race
Choices I have had to face

I believed I was fair and loyal to each equally
Loyal like a lioness regally

No. Absolutely Not
For a long time, my heritage I forgot

Never learnt the language, claimed I never had the time
The blame, is hundred percent mine

Born in Africa, to be precise the horn
Here I am today torn


I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There is a Genocide occurring
Streaming tears, of guilt and frustration are burning

Not just burning my skin, but also my soul
Here is the reason they're outta control

I'm British that's how I'm described
So my closest friends they were surprised


That I tore my life upside down and inside out
I screamed, run to protest, called radio shows, to everyone, I would holla and shout

My people are being killed, the war has started
I said with tears all broken-hearted

What are you talking about, your family are ok
They were talking about them in the U.K

I wasn't as loyal as I thought. I was a fake
I hope to make up for this mistake

Please forgive me. Please don't die
Please together, can we cry
Cry for all the lives lost in Tigray

Please can I see peace, can I help in my own small way
With prayer, and advocacy, and Mekete U.K

A year and a half later. I am not forlorn
My heart, my soul just ripped and torn