how many times have I peeled myself
only to wake up the next day,
having regrown that same skin
I have escaped and ran
a thousand times
hoping to leave
past versions of myself
behind
only to
become me again
peeling is futile
what lies within
cannot be peeled away
burnt
forgotten
it is me
I am it
wherever I run
it is me I will find there
This poem, like an earlier poem I wrote Escape to Yourself expresses a lot my doubts about travelling/ migrating. It reflects in many ways in which those of us who leave our homes, for whatever reason, often find versions of our homes in the places we run to. We are the products of the societies we come from. Though I may have temporarily left home. I carry it with me everywhere. It colours my perceptions of new people and places. It is a source of grief and nostalgia. Sometimes I am ashamed to admit, I am relieved to be away from it. And on most days I see, that I am my home.
On those days I find Sodade by Cesaria Evora, comforting. Sodade -expresses the melancholy of Cape Verdeans who migrate to Sao Tome.
Youtube: Sodade by Cesaria Evora
Featured Image by Gregory Prescott