This poem also reflects the context of the post-world war 2 influx of migrants from Europe’s war-torn countries and the racism directed at migrants that was encouraged by the White Australia Policy. A loss of identity is evident from the first stanza, where a sense of uncertainty, expressed in the line “sudden departures… who would be coming next”, permeates the poem. These lines highlight the loss of control and certainty in the migrants life, and the fear of the unknown as no warning was given before the departure of the fellow migrants. The emotional instability of the migrants is also expressed through the alliterative ‘h’ in “memories of hunger and hate”, which suggests a heaviness of peoples spirits and hearts, endangered by their memories of the past limiting their sense of belonging. The simile, “like a homing pigeon… circling to get its bearings” also illustrates the migrants feelings of a limited sense of belonging, uncertainty and emotional disorientation in the face of their journey and tenure at the hostel. Therefore, we can see that an individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can limit their experience of belonging, which can be seen throughout Peter Skrzynecki’s Migrant…