Home

A hundred homes I have had, roaming the globe since conception.

No one place to call my *turangawaewae, just an orphan of the Earth.

On good days I rejoice in my travels and feel like a free spirit.

On bad days I feel so alone and yearn for a place to belong.

A hundred homes I have had in many parts and places.

A flat in the city I called my castle in the sky, where up high I could hide like a hermit from the world.

A cellar underground that became my dungeon, it’s dark damp walls stagnant like my mind at that time.

A two-up two-down block of four homes where all our families became one and we had immense fun.

A travelling truck where I lived like a hippy, happy with the simple life and the backpacking dream.

A big home once when my dad got promoted, with upstairs bedrooms and a garden big enough to play games in.

An ancient cottage from the middle-ages with its wooden beams and open fire offering homely charm.

An outback shack on the edge of the bush where wild creatures and birds would wander in.

A piece of land on an island down under where I once dreamed of a happy ever after.

A posh apartment in the city at the peak of my career when times were affluent and flush.

A tent in the garden or a couch courtesy of a friend, when in tough times I was grateful for a safe place to rest up.

An abode abundant with family and friends being the ultimate to come home to,

A partner, some kids, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunties and more,

A dog or a cat, a mouse or a bird, a hamster or a fish, all creatures galore,

They make a place to rush home to, but with the click of my fingers it can all be gone!

Like a snail I carry my whole life loaded on my back and the only remaining home is me.

I am the only home I have known, transient structures have never been that.

Where my longing becomes belonging, bricks and mortar don’t invoke it.

Homecoming is going inside to the haven where my precious memories reside.

My constant sanctuary, the only place I truly belong, the love inside one.

*(in Maori culture) Tūrangawaewae literally tūranga (standing place), waewae (feet), often translated as ‘a place to stand’. Tūrangawaewae are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.