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Had to share this poem

edited October 2016 in Writing
Our small poetry group hosted an evening of poems on the theme of 'Home' for our village's recent festival. This poem which Tim chose and read stunned everyone. Read it for yourselves.

Home by Warsan Shire

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well
your neighbors running faster than you
breath bloody in their throats
the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
is holding a gun bigger than his body

you only leave home
when home won’t let you stay.
no one leaves home unless home chases you
fire under feet
hot blood in your belly
it’s not something you ever thought of doing
until the blade burnt threats into
your neck
and even then you carried the anthem under
your breath
only tearing up your passport in an airport toilets
sobbing as each mouthful of paper
made it clear that you wouldn’t be going back.

you have to understand,
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land
no one burns their palms
under trains
beneath carriages
no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck
feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled
means something more than journey.

I want to go home,
but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home
unless home chased you to the shore
no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear
saying-
leave,
run away from me now
i don’t know what i’ve become
but i know that anywhere
is safer than here

Comments

  • She's a brilliant poet - I shared it on FB at the beginning of the year. It's just so true.
  • thank you for posting that, Liz.
    I know a lot of people who should read it and understand why they need help.

    There are still unfathomable people who believe that a mother would walk across the desert with her children and get into a leaky boat across a dangerous sea, and walk a thousand miles, just to claim benefits!
  • Very powerful, Lizy. Thanks for sharing.
  • Wow, that is incredible.
  • That brought a lump to my throat. Thank you for posting it, Lizy.
  • Wow! So, so true!
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