Originally published 03/02/2022
Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery
Sonnet I: The Open Island
By Adam Barrett
See the pain of one but not the other
A skinned dog but not the starving mother
A tortured animal but not the child
Ruined lands by us always seen so mild
They starve them, kill them, care less for our world
We shoot them, bomb them, a Union unfurled
Done in justice, planting rage in their home
Theirs done in greed, from a culture syndrome
Fear not the boat upon the “English” shore
The war-stricken sailors seek nothing more
Than a life for their children free from harm
Kept afloat by dreams of safety and calm
Ours is privilege, a life without fear
So stand up, reach out, to those coming here.
About this piece
Adam Barrett is a Literature MA student who hasn’t done anything like this before with poetry. It’s a ‘modern’ take on a sonnet. It’s a comparison of the Western empathetic responses to the treatment of animals in other parts of the world, like with dog festivals, and the lack of empathy towards refugees who also fight for their lives.