Across the border

I asked my cousin just the other day
What he remembered of that journey
What he could still remember for me
(I was inside my mummy's tummy
Thus I didn't know anything at all!)
When my whole family escaped
Across the border from Hungary
On that dark night led by our guide
Walking in silence for so many miles
Kali was six years old back then
Just a little kid: bigger than his two brothers
Bigger than my own brother too
Alec was about one and a half back then
My mum and dad followed my Uncle
He it was who had to leave: had been imprisoned
They were not happy with him you see
Thought he was a troublemaker even then
My auntie was with them, another uncle too
When they decided to leave their country
Decided to leave their whole family too
All those aunts and uncles, cousins too
He remembered seeing lights far away
Feeling anxious to say the least
Worrying about being caught by guards
Hearing shots being fired: they were shooting rabbits
Many times he felt like they were going the wrong way
Heading towards the Austrian border: far away
After they crossed over it was still a long way
Many more miles to traverse in the daylight
Then there were Austrian soldiers picking them up
Taking them to a village: he saw a haystack
It felt like they'd gone to the end of the world
To him it really was: past anywhere he'd ever been
Yes so far away from what was normal
Into the scary great big wide world!
Being brought across the world to Australia!