With a bit of mud upon their peak
a pair of tiny birds ventured into our abode.
I asked my mother, tinged with excitement
“Mother! Why have they graced our home?”

“To craft their dwelling,” replied Mother.

My childhood routine altered—
to oversee the endeavors of those winged beings
and witness the splendid nest they shaped.

Then came the day when Mother uttered,
“The swallows have birthed their offspring.”

Swiftly,
the fledglings matured, mastering the art of flight
and on one uncertain day
they soared away from the nest
yet didn’t return.

My heart echoed the emptiness
of the now-deserted nest.

Mother sighed and shared,
“It appears, the fledglings have departed their nests.”

Weary of my persistent inquiries
regarding the rationale behind their departure
Mother, one day, responded with irritation—
“Their progeny has blossomed into adulthood
they’ve left the haven of the nest
bound to their mates
busy crafting a new abode afar.”

I rushed to Mother
clasped her in a tight embrace, and
with resolute tones, proclaimed,
“Mother! I’ll never make another home!
I’ll stay forever young!”

-०-

I want to drown in you,
To dip my face in your waters,
Rapid or smooth.
To know the parts of you,
Nobody else ever could,
I need to feel you.
Your fingers like tear drops,
Running down my face,
Left deep in a loving haze.
So can we come together,
Ignore all the things that push between us,
Your name ends with my favorite place,
The sea.

Your name ends with home,
My home is you.

This one is for the ones we miss,
Sweet memory's translucent kiss.
For the boys and girls back home,
Friendly faces I know.
This one's for the things we never said,
For the ones we wish we did.

It was the year with double twenty
The year of uncertainty
The year of unknown
The year of mourning
Where everyone stop
Where everything was cough
Who knows, it will be like that
Who knows, it was just a start
to realize the realness
to realize the quietness
to realize the loneliness
It shows how life can turn
It shows we can be in control
despite everything
We saw the light and hope
There are beginnings
filled with love
filled with relationships


xoxo

This heart makes room
for those without place
find a chair
a bed
some peace
some space
my heart’s your home
make it sweet
inside my heart
not at my feet

This heart makes room
come and hide
at the heart of my soul
not by my side
my heart is warm
a fireplace
come abide in me
beneath my gaze
it’s quiet here
within my chest
come now
come sleep
find your rest

We descend over the city long after nightfall
I look for her eyes in the lights below
I think perhaps I can spot them
                                      if I look closely
I am faster through the airport than the old folks and the children
Watch for my bags with a heart beating through my chest
Smile at the dogs on duty  
And oh what joy
She is not a dream
                                      but flesh and blood and world in a pinpoint
She is just as I have left her
The only soul who has ever been beautiful under fluorescent white
The only soul who has ever drawn joy from me in the airport
And oh what joy
She is not a dream
                                      She is mine

I was told that there is a house with many rooms in our Father’s New Haven, and when I first heard this, my mind went to an all-inclusive five star hotel, an award winning complex, a beautifully designed block of compartments, one for each of us. A hotel big enough for all of us to have our own en-suite space, with an optional do not disturb on the door, so we could choose when to mingle in the hall ways and when to order 24 hour room service to avoid losing the peace of our own space, a place where you’d rave about the quality of the towels and the silent, unnoticed staff who offer a crisp laundry service and make our beds when our backs are turned, the very best in luxury soaps and shampoos, a walk-in steaming shower, a XXL hot bath, a private pool, perfectly adjusted air con followed by a top of the range kettle that works every time and perfectly complements the décor beside complimentary aromatic teas and potent coffees, with refrigerated fresh milk for those who take it, and the offer of an all-paid-for minibar complete with Toblerones and miniatures, a king sized bed and pillows to match, in front of an oversized all channel TV offering the back catalogue you’ve always dreamed of and to top it all, sound proofed windows and walls so you won’t notice the Pentecostals next door.

Then I looked again, and I saw I was wrong – that this is not an access by key-card hotel, it is our Father’s house. This is our inter-generational family home with many family rooms to explore, communal space where we can all feast and laugh – a piano in the corner, carafes of wine, baskets of warm bread and help-yourself fruit bowls in every direction, deep suites of sofas, full of the hum of long-separated family reunited. A home which offers a warm embrace to all; the fragrance of every-season gardens, the music of a gentle brook and bird song suggestive of dawn all day.

This is a massive mansion which we will never reach the end of, no matter how long our eternity. This is a place to call our forever family home.