#leavinghome
Who am I that comes and goes like the wind that sweeps a summer’s day?
Who am I that hides herself like the sun behind a cloud, not wanting to burn those she touches?
Who am I that chose within my own right to leave and not look back, though look back, I do...
Who am I that roams here like a faint stranger; quiet, meek, and uncertain in this still foreign land?
Who am I that fits not here that which I came, and fits not there that which I left?
Feb 15
Feb 15, 2026 at 12:03 PM UTC
(on the ten-year anniversary of leaving home)
without looking back,
she boarded a flight,
concealing that piercing anxiety.
to soothe the ache,
packed her language as a guide,
weeping quietly for her country.
recognition came in tears,
stretched paper-thin—
that her home couldn’t yet grasp
that love begins within.
the early years, under flickering lights,
were spent seeking solace.
with inner voices softly humming—
inhaling cheap wine,
books as her compass—
enough to outweigh not belonging.
some nights,
she danced until her heels
worn the skin away,
bleeding her truth into tile,
whilst friends, thick as thieves,
melted into laughter, and gin.
she loved badly,
lit candles to soften the silence
that screamed louder at 3 a.m.,
scribbled poetry
on the walls of her soul—
long forgotten, left forsaken.
her twenties were a strange gift,
she never thought to ask for,
memories scattered down the hallway,
like spilled drinks, laced with honesty.
sometimes the weight is still sore,
and yet she’s walking,
barefoot,
unfolding.
Jun 19, 2025
Jun 19, 2025 at 10:23 AM UTC
I can see you love him
hopefully it will all work out
You don't have to take us into account
We just want you to be happy
that he will not grieve you
There's no need to rush
You're young, take time
to get to know him better
The obligations will come later
We are concerned, but we do our best
not to show it
It's hard enough for you
and we'll help you with everything
You can always come to us
you know that, right?
Now go, say goodbye to dad
He is waiting for it
before you leave
Feb 12, 2025
Feb 12, 2025 at 4:34 AM UTC
we laid with stars in our arms
knowing today would come,
we laughed and cried, loved, lived and healed,
and every second was worth the pain of the sun;
i’d rather wake up to heartache and loss
than live life, never knowing what it’s like to hold a star.
Dec 15, 2021
Dec 15, 2021 at 7:46 AM UTC
I left home
Aged 10
Put on a bus and away I went
Gone to oblivion
Into the void
Mum standing on the platform
Growing smaller as the bus drove away
Already gone.
Now a man, I return to that bus
Where that boy should have never been.
I take him in my arms
And hold him,
I will not let him go!
He can come home to me,
Stay with me in my home-heart.
We can be together, friends, brothers, partners, companions at arms.
You are safe now with me my boy!
I will not let you go.
Jul 28, 2020
Jul 28, 2020 at 12:55 PM UTC
Stepping out into the world...
How will I express myself?
Am I really strong enough?
No turning back now, just walk on.
My past behind, my life ahead.
The pages of destiny, yet to be read.
Courage! Courage!
Now be brave.
Will I fail? Will I succeed?
Will I follow? Will I lead?
All this and more I ask myself
As I prepare to leave my shelf.
I will not cry! I will not cry!
There is no try, just do or die.
I'll give my all with no complaints,
With no regrets and no restraints.
Now must I spread my wings and fly...
Feb 27, 2020
Feb 27, 2020 at 4:09 PM UTC
a house is not a home
my home is with those who love me,
and you clearly don't
i am leaving;
i will miss you,
but not enough to come back.
you are nothing to me anymore,
as i am done with your lies
May 10, 2019
May 10, 2019 at 8:02 PM UTC
I am treading water between the islands
She is locked in her private paradise
While a swim against the current
Words ripple to her shore
But she blows against the tide
Fighting an internal changing tempest
She used to swim with me in harmony
Synchronist in stroke
But she says I am making waves
Blocking her leap into the fresh air
She can’t see that she is like me
Who also wants to feel the open water
I know the struggle she is fighting
The urge to fly and the pull to stay
I have travelled the route she is going
And I want to guide her on her way
But she thinks I am making waves
Blocking her leap into fresh air
I watch from the shallows
As she heads into the deep blue
She strikes out strong and true, then turns
I know she feels the pull
And I smile as only a mother can do
Watching as she takes her first leap
Dec 31, 2018
Dec 31, 2018 at 8:26 AM UTC
Amongst alien places and alien faces,
Where familiarity had no traces,
In the scorching sun, still feeling cold,
Falling down and having nobody to hold,
My fears untold ,I had a fake smile,
I secretly shed a tear , every once in a while,
I longed to be independent of those chains of misery,
Little did I know , that was my key to be free,
My key to step out of my cocoon,
My chance to touch the stars and the moon,
My chance to start a brand new tale,
I had no one to judge me even when I fail,
I failed and I failed but I knew I would sail,
You won't feel pleasure if you haven't seen pain,
Trust me , the struggle never goes in vain,
I met the kind of people, I didn't even know exist,
I felt good about the opportunities I hadn't missed,
I thought I had a terrible life , but I was wrong,
The struggle stays for a bit , but the pleasure period is long,
I looked back , from where I started,
From where me and my comfort parted,
And the transformation in me brought tears in my eyes,
I had finally achieved victory, the new me, was my prize ,
It was the best feeling I had ever felt ,
I went to my Mom and down I knelt,
I thanked her for sending me away,
And I thanked her again, everyday.
-Aastha Arora
Feb 10, 2018
Feb 10, 2018 at 12:14 PM UTC
You can't go back to the beginning
You can't start from the end
At no point are you the same person
You can't go home again
In every heart there's an aching
A desire to remain
But with every moment there's a changing
It will never be the same
When you leave, memories go with you
But your love may stay with them
Like a phoenix, rise from the ashes
Take flight and build again
Aug 16, 2015
Aug 16, 2015 at 4:46 PM UTC
Once mighty green leaves,
Now swaying here and there
They are changing colours
From green –
To red to indigo,
And then to yellow, finally.
Ready to fall down,
To float away freely,
Over the blue sky
Far far away
From the tree
I used to be
Bright and breezy-
Like a green leaf,
Always sticking to the tree.
Now I feel-
That I am ;
Changing too
Ready to fall,
Breaking free
To float freely
…. Away from the tree..
Jun 1, 2015
Jun 1, 2015 at 7:34 AM UTC
Nobody loves her best and that’s okay
Because her car drives faster than they can run
And her sweater is big enough and her hair is tangled
Like she just rolled out of bed
But bed isn’t home
Not anymore
Bed is anywhere she can close her eyes for more than a second at a time
Home is the structure built inside of her chest
Not quite a human with a human’s anatomy anymore
The bones are twisted the wrong way
Scraps of the past caught in the joints
Wrapped up tight like a flag in the wind of a tornado
And that’s all she’s becoming
But it’s still hard to breathe
And she would trade it all,
Trust me,
She would trade it all
Give up the speed
Give up the power
Give up the ability to knock them down and make them wander around in the dark
For the chance to open a front door
And not fear what’s on the inside.
Fear doesn’t truly move her
Fear actually locks her knees and freezes her lips
But a moving target is hard to hit
So she’s trained herself to run
And she’s going to keep going, screaming all the way
Take me back
Take me back
Oh god, bring me home.
May 21, 2014
May 21, 2014 at 8:39 PM UTC