H.O.M.E - Harbor Of My Emotions

-Parul Kumar

While I traveled across the globe,
Changed cities and career roads
Only one thing remained constant throughout - My Home.
I shifted to uncountable houses to live and survive,
But I only found one home where I felt the most alive.
The walls of my home are not just whitewashed with paint
But also with numerous coats of belongingness, acceptance
and ultimate comfort.
Home is where I can find my furry friend wagging his tail
anxiously waiting for me on the front porch.
No one calls me by my first name here,
Only my nickname pierces through the air.
While the cities only offer clamour
with their ceaseless hustle and bustle,
Inside these four walls of familiarity,
I fall asleep as I listen to the lullabies of my granny.
Home is where chai tastes the best, it hosts the
only washroom I trust the most. It’s where I can
find a sibling to fight and mess with and a shoulder
to cry on as well.
The roof above my head is not just my haven,
It’s my safety net,
Ensuring me that even when I am at my worst,
I will always be taken care of by the people living under it.
Home is where Sunday brunches are marked with
a hearty plate of rajma rice with buttermilk
And most importantly,
I have my people here to share and cherish every bite of it.
The strike of Big Ben here creates a cacophony
Because there is no better alarm than waking
up to the morning prayers done by my mother
at home.
These foreign lands house loads of fascinating savories,
But nothing is a match to those golgappas from home.

H.O.M.E. is thus a harbor of my emotions,
I carry its essence with me wherever I go,
And no matter in what house I stay in,
I will always have the warmth of my people
To create a second home, away from home.