“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.” —Warsan Shire-

The stunning quote above is from Warsan Shire, a Somali British writer and poet born in Nairobi. The quote was highlighted by David Zwirner in a promotion for the art of Kenyan artist Michael Armitage being shown in New York City.

Good is knowing we can’t know some things and why immigrants leave home is clearly one of those things we cannot know unless we ask. Even if we ask we can only glean a hint of the shark from which that family snatched their children and lives. If our arrogance is so entrenched we won’t even ask before we throw them back to the sharks, our nation is doomed. Please! Due process is a sterile bridge word but it clearly means asking for and respecting the story of every human life on earth. Every life is represented by a singular story; a tale that must be told and heard. Hearing and witnessing are both legal and spiritual responsibilities of the highest order.