In the camps of Idomeni

The lazy smoke rising from the campire,

Children playing football, it's twilight,

In the camps of Idomeni.

Voices speak of the ancient cities of Damascus,

Of Aleppo, of the silk route towns of Herat & Kandahar,

In the camps of Idomeni.

Dreams of Berlin, of Scandinavian smiles,

Of warm beds to sleep in, of bread, of better lives,

In the camps of Idomeni.

A boy smiles awkwardly at a girl, they do not speak each other's tongue,

She is unsure what to do, it's all Greek to them,

In the camps of Idomeni.

Context : At the start of the Syrian & Middle Eastern crisis, many people were forced to run from the destruction of war, and escape into Europe on crowded boats where many died. One of the first camps the survivors encountered was Idomeni in Greece. The European authorities had bundled them into the camp while they processed their applications for refugee status. I saw a documentary and was moved to know more about them via articles and news features. This piece of writing is a result of that.