Homesick

Tabatabaee House, Kashan, Iran. Photo from IRNA, August 18, 2008.

Homesick,

for a land that holds my childhood

for a place which saw me through love

for streets that saw my joy

for trees that witnessed my tears

for shops that traded kindness

for shopkeepers who sold wisdom

for friends who gave me love

for old ladies who gave me advice

for children who gave me wonder

for youth who gave me pride

for my parents who were my world

for their graves which beckon my tears and tales

for the people who are strung out

for the time that it was

for the place that it was

for the home that it was

for the home that is no longer

for the hope that rests within,

I am homesick.