Something that has however struck me as incredibly sad (and surprising) is the significant number of people suffering on the streets. Often these homeless people are immigrants who have not been able to find jobs or housing, and have consequently turned to alcohol and drugs to drown their sorrows. This I don't find surprising speaking from experience. Even as an English woman with a permanent contract, I found it incredibly difficult to find an apartment when arriving here in the Côte d'Azur!
I can't help thinking that the cause for this suffering is an imbedded racism that has not yet weened itself out of modern society. To reflect upon this ongoing issue, please read my poem below, written on 11th November 2014:
Immigrant Nightmare
Do you see me as a person,
Or as a colour, a race?
Do you see me as an equal,
Or an animal with a strange face?
Why must I battle,
For that which is my right,
When those from your own country,
Must not put up the same fight?
I pay all my taxes
I work and pay my way
Yet a roof over my head
You won't accept, won't give me a place to stay.
You believe I will steal
Or not pay my rent
You see only my shell, my face
Not beyond it, a life well spent.
You see not my high morals
Nor my commitment to this community, this life
You see but my passport, my visa
This racism, it's like being stabbed in the heart with a knife.
Do you see me as a person,
Or as a colour, a race?
Do you see me as an equal,
Or an animal with a strange face?
....................
As a last note, I'd like to say a big thank you to all those courageous people that work in the Social Sector trying to provide a better life for these people.
