MDX Redbeat

Home is Where the Heart is

In these times of distress, a lot of us are forced to be away from home, and this small poem talks about the elements of comfort and warmth to humans — a feeling of home we find only in places we love. We all miss our home countries, and if this quarantine hadn’t happened, most of us would be vacationing outside the country right now.

Maybe we would be travelling to a new country this time, maybe watching the sunrise atop of a mountain with a cup of coffee while huddled in a tent, maybe trying a new cold dessert in the blazing summer, maybe lounging in a villa with cousins playing games all day, maybe gazing at the crashing waves in some secluded beach, or maybe even sleeping under the stars hoping for another day to pass by with cherry blossoms and tiny miracles.

And among the chaos of the virus and protests breaking out, the feeling of home has been detached from us, leaving our hearts aching for elements of happiness and safety. For some, the definition of home resides in novels, journals, paintings and cooking, while for others, it’s the mere feeling when they are united with their loved ones. And while hoping for this time to pass, I wrote this poem thinking of my own places that feel like home to me.

Home

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
exists in the folds
of my mother’s arms.

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
resides in the brown speckles
of my father’s eyes.

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
resides in the softness
of my grandma’s palms.

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
resides in the rustling jade leaves
that catch the dancing sunlight.

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
resides in the madness of
the wind whipping through my hair.

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
resides in the growling of
the azure waves that wash ashore.

If home is where
the heart is,
then my heart
exists within the pure mellow
words spoken by God Himself.

-r.f.

@rimshafathima_ on Instagram