MY HOME IS MY SHADOW by Jamiu Ahmed



MY HOME IS MY SHADOW

Oh my home! 
The fragmented walls of a muddy castle
Decorated with the wide-mouthed holes
Open to air like the jaws of an hungry lion
Now the hideout of starved little creatures

Oh my home! 
The concrete depiction of craggy floors
The vivid paintings with old pale colours
Revealed by the cracked roofs; that leak 
the secret of your weaknesses to the sun.

Oh my beautiful home! 
What happened to your shining ornaments? 
The gaudy chandelier hanging on the roof
has now been replaced by cobwebs & dust
My portrait are now fading & wearing out

Oh my opulent home!
What happened to your well-stocked barn? 
Where are the grains in your stowage silo? 
They have been attacked by parasite & pest 
Now as empty as the second day of market

Oh my beautiful home! Oh my beautiful home! 
The wardrobe of hanged clothes and shoes
as ragged as a scarecrow's tattered wears
The room of weary bones, long & loose-fitted
necks dangling freely on paper-thin shoulders

Oh my home! 
The sound of your name on my dehydrated lip
Is like the cracked words from a broken tongue
But no where else to call my own home than you
My home is my home, as trash is for garbage heap

Fire is burning on the roof of our homes
Everyone is running out to the western hills
Does running from the fire extinguish the fire?
Is there really a place where fire can't burn? 

Oh my home! 
You are the mirror that reflect my origin 
I have no where else to call my own home
You are my home, you are my shadow
How do I run away from you my home 

©® Jamiu Ahmed

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