the feeling of going home

brings a smile to my

cracked and sore lips

the quiet terminal

the whirring

coffee machine

in the background
waiting for

the arms

of my mother

to engulf

my frame
her warmth

laugh lines

worry lines

fade when

our eyes meet
the winter sun

thawing my

bones

frozen solid

from stony city

gazes unflinching 
the years

of sacrifice

to stay home

with two children
she can

make a meal

out of thin air

with the

coins scattered

on our worn

scuffed table
protecting us

fed us

cleaned

back-breaking

work

to raise two

humans

with

black skin

to teach us

comfort us

when we

realised

the heavy

weight of what

our skin meant
all this I

thought as I

watched her

drip honey

into my tea
all this I

thought as I

saw her tears
all this I thought

when she reminded

me to be proud 
her hands holding mine

soft and calloused

like shes handing

something to me
I will unfurl

my hand

when I am

to return to

the cold

when I feel

alone
all this I thought

as I stood at the terminal

back to the

towering lights

of the city

for my

domestic flight.