Heimwee (after dixie daisy's simplicity 7801)

by Yakari Gabriel   Feb 12, 2016


Like everyone who grew up
in abusive atmospheres do,
I too swore that once out
I'll never go back

like the hurt bird I was,
I skipped calling the first
weeks, laughed alone
as I made promises to
start over-
to not let anything
rob me of my joy

cause back there
back then,
blinded by my own pain-
I did nothing but repeat
what I was taught..
so I too, got clever with
insults. often, found pleasure
in digging out healing
wounds

and as it often happens
in solitude, I got to
hear my own voice-
(stood amazed, at how much
it sounded like hers)

over coffee that tasted
nothing like the one
she makes.
I counted everything
I could possibly sell-
to run back to her

ashamed, diploma-less
and all.

---
Heimwee is the dutch word for
"A longing for home"

4


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Latest Comments

  • 8 years ago

    by Melpomene

    This is a killer of a poem and I feel as though I've become very connected to it. I've read in four times now and each time I find something more complex. Emotion wise I'm not just feeling the sadness either, there's more to it than that.

    I know what it's like to take off from the place that was once home, to not want to go back there. However you always end up going back there. You always have that feeling that you need to go back there. The last few lines hit me hard... 'diploma-less', yep too many times I wanted to throw my degrees in and run back. You just have to find that inner strength to continue on.

  • 8 years ago

    by Larry Chamberlin

    Such a complex evolution of emotion! Yes I can relate to every bit of this poem, the verbal abuse, the words that cut like knives (and are then twisted in the wound to make it hurt worse), the escape,the renunciation and then the perspective. You have to have the confidence that you are a person in your own right before you can appreciate just how much the parent (your mom, my dad) means to us. Such a wonderful expression.

    "I too, got clever with / insults "

    "I got to / hear my own voice ... / over coffee that tasted / nothing like the one / she makes"

    "I counted everything / I could possibly sell- / to run back to her / ashamed, diploma-less / and all"

    You have become a true wordsmith - crafting art from 26 little symbols.

  • 8 years ago

    by J Nair

    Dear Yakari,
    I admire your spirit and your courage. As i have said before it is really comendable that you potray so much of honesty through your words, your poems truly reveal your soul.
    And the best part is you never hide behind pretences , you never fear to openly admitt your mistakes and a person so young you manage to find your own solutions too. Kid you're an inspiration to me. Wishing you all the very best.
    God Bless You!!
    Jay

  • 8 years ago

    by Poet on the Piano

    This is incredible, Yaki. Heart-breaking and so raw. I'm so glad you share your voice, your heart, on here.

  • 8 years ago

    by Daisy if you do

    That should say chickie not chicken, funny how it messed up that word. Sorry

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