Where my heart sings, Donde mi corazon canta. It could be kin, then places, country, town, street. Finally, a dwelling place with floor, ceiling, doors and windows. Through those windows, I see the outside world. Despues podrian ser los familiares, lugares, pueblos, calles Finalmente un lugar habitable, con piso, techo, puertas y ventanas. A traves de las ventanas puedo mirar hacia el mundo exterior. From the porthole of the ship, I saw The Sydney Harbour Bridge, With its wide, warmest arms. It is my home. Desde el ojo de buey del barco Vi El Puente en La Bahia de Sydney, Con sus anchos y calurosos brazos. Es mi hogar. The first time I saw Australia Through the window of the plane The sun was glinting off the waves. La primera vez que vi Australia A traves de la ventana del avion El sol estaba brillando sobre las olas. Years ago walking around Uluru, Early in the morning, I felt I was at home, with my family. Años atras caminando alrededor de Uluru Una mañana temprano, Me senti en mi hogar, con mi familia. Love and Peace. Amor y Paz Home—the little corner Of my father’s arm. Hogar—el rinconsito En el brazo de mi padre. Warmest home Where we live, where we rest Hogar sentimientos de calor Donde vivimos, donde descansamos. The world around me Friends, trees, the ocean, waves and seagulls. El mundo alrededor Amigos, arboles, el oceano, las olas y las gaviotas. The world outside me Those homes are people, countries, cities, Buildings, houses. Sadly sometimes very poor shanties. El mundo fuera de mi Aquellos hogares son gente, paises, ciudades. Tristemente, algunas veces poblaciones pobres. Home—the picture hanging on the wall, The undeniable scar. Still, the sun shines behind the cloud Unashamed of who we are. Hogar—el cuadro colgado en la pared, Una cicatriz no se puede negar. Aun, el sol brilla detrás de la nube, Sin vergüenza, de quienes somos. Home—anywhere from a branch in a tree To the cloud in solitude. Hogar—en cualquier lugar, en la rama del arbol, O en una nube solitaria. Home is already here. Home is me. Hogar esta aqui. Hogar soy yo mismo. Any sword has a case, any migrant a suitcase. You are my skin. I take you everywhere. Cualquiera espada tiene su vaina, cualquier emigrante una maleta. Tu eres mi piel. Te llevo a todas partes. Where my heart sings, Donde mi corazon canta.
The South Coast’s Inspiraciones Literarias–Spanish-speaking Writers wrote a collaborative poem about hogar/home with Tara Goedjen. For the group originally from Chile and Spain, home is born in two languages, Spanish and English, as Cleo Pacheco writes:
Cuando los rayos de sol caen sobre la faz de la tierra el Corazon del poeta explota nace el hogar. As the sun’s rays fall and make ripples on the face of the earth the poet’s Heart explodes home is born.
She adds, ‘The bilingual home is where [the poet] finds repose … the home within.’ This embodiment of home is echoed by Juan Quiñones who says he is ever linked to Chile with ‘a very long umbilical cord.’
Return to Story Circle: The Transnational Story Hub and the Inspiraciones Literarias, a chapbook curated by Merlinda Bobis.
