Abandonment by Tania Mitra

Home ceased to be what it was
To me when I was handed
A termination notice and was asked
To move out to somewhere
In the world on plastic boats,
Without any cause or reason
For departure except for the fact
Bricks and cement that held
Me together were falling apart,
Involuntarily, painstakingly,
And the options I had were bound
By thin razors under my feet,
So I left, Leaving behind
A dozen parts of myself, and I
Wandered out into the sea,
It was cold and hard, contrary to
My warm and welcoming home,
And as I touched foreign soil
Nostalgia and relief kissed
My bones, but they passed, almost
Instantaneously, panic surpassing
Any other emotion that was left
For me to feel as I wondered
Where next would I lay my roots,
Where next would I take my family
To find solace and familiarity,
And it was the mere kindness of
Strangers that allowed me to survive,
That let me search for hope, future
And a place that I’d be able to give myself,
To call my own, name it home.