No one leaves home unless
Home is the mouth of a shark
You only run for the border
When you see the whole city running as well
Your neighbors running faster than you
Breath bloody in their throats
The boy you went to school with
Who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory
Is holding a gun bigger than his body
You only leave home
When home won't let you stay
Won't let you stay...
No one leaves home unless home chases you
Fire under feet
Hot blood in your belly
You have to understand,
That no one puts their children in a boat
Unless the water is safer than the land
You have to understand,
That no one puts their children in a boat
Unless the water is safer than the land
You have to understand,
That no one puts their children in a boat
Unless the water is safer than the land
I want to go home,
But home is the mouth of a shark
Home is the barrel of the gun
And no one would leave home.
I want to go home,
But home is the mouth of a shark
Home is the barrel of the gun
And no one would leave home.
I want to go home,
But home is the mouth of a shark
Home is the barrel of the gun
And no one would leave home.
I want to go home,
But home is the mouth of a shark
Home is the barrel of the gun
And no one would leave home.
For full poem as pdf format, please Click here
Structure of the Poem:
- Lines & Stanzas: The poem does not follow a traditional stanzaic pattern. It uses free verse with short, impactful lines repeated for emphasis.
- Genre: Modern, contemporary poetry focusing on social issues, displacement, and human suffering.
- Form & Style: Free verse; repetitive structure emphasizes urgency and emotional intensity. No strict rhyme scheme is used.
Summary
“Home” by Warsan Shire portrays the harsh realities of refugees and forced migration. The poem emphasizes that people do not leave their homes willingly; they are pushed by violence, war, and fear. Shire uses vivid imagery—home as the mouth of a shark, home as the barrel of a gun—to show that home has become dangerous. The repeated line “No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land” highlights extreme desperation. It also conveys the psychological trauma of fleeing and the longing for safety and security. Through short, repetitive lines, the poem creates urgency and draws attention to the moral responsibility of understanding refugees’ plight.
Themes:
1. Forced displacement and migration
People leave their homes not by choice, but due to war, persecution, or danger, highlighting the involuntary and traumatic nature of migration.
2. Violence and war
War transforms familiar spaces into deadly environments, turning neighbors and friends into threats, showing the pervasive and destructive impact of armed conflict.
3. Home as danger and insecurity
Home, traditionally a safe haven, becomes a place of fear and threat, symbolized by sharks and guns, emphasizing vulnerability and insecurity.
4. Survival and desperation
Refugees risk perilous journeys and extreme hardship to escape life-threatening conditions, driven purely by the instinct to survive.
5. Loss of innocence
Violence and displacement steal childhood and normalcy, forcing children and adults alike to confront trauma, danger, and moral complexity prematurely.
6. Empathy for refugees
The poem urges readers to understand the harsh realities of forced migration, fostering compassion and challenging judgments about those fleeing danger.
Figures of Speech:
- Metaphor: “Home is the mouth of a shark” / “Home is the barrel of the gun”
- Repetition: “No one leaves home unless…” and “Unless the water is safer than the land”
- Imagery: Vivid depiction of fear, violence, and desperation
- Personification: Home is depicted as an active, threatening force
About the Poem
“Home” is a contemporary poem that highlights the struggles of people forced to leave their homes due to war, violence, or persecution. Shire’s language is simple yet extremely powerful; she conveys urgency through repetition and short, punchy lines. The poem’s central message is that migration is rarely voluntary—it is the result of extreme necessity. Shire vividly describes the danger and fear that people experience, using metaphors like home as a shark’s mouth or a gun barrel to show how home has become unsafe. The line about putting children in a boat emphasizes that refugees choose peril over staying in a violent homeland. The poem’s free verse form and lack of rhyme allow the emotion and realism of the situations to dominate. It’s not just a poem about migration; it’s a call for empathy, urging readers to understand the harsh realities that force people into impossible choices. The narrative oscillates between collective experiences and intimate memories, making it both universal and personal. Overall, the poem is a powerful social commentary on human suffering and resilience.
About the Poet
Warsan Shire is a contemporary British-Somali poet, born in 1988 in Kenya and raised in London. She is widely recognized for her work on themes of displacement, migration, identity, and the experiences of refugees. Shire gained international attention when her poems were featured in Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade (2016), particularly her writings about exile, home, and personal loss. Her poetry is marked by lyrical intensity, vivid imagery, and social consciousness, blending personal narrative with universal themes of struggle and survival. Shire often writes in free verse, employing repetition and stark metaphors to create emotional impact. She focuses on the voices of marginalized communities, highlighting human rights issues and the pain of those forced to leave home. Beyond her literary work, Shire is an advocate for understanding refugees’ experiences and challenging stereotypes about migration. Her style is accessible yet deeply moving, making her one of the most influential modern poets of the 21st century. Through poems like Home, she brings attention to urgent global issues while celebrating human resilience and the longing for safety, belonging, and dignity.
0 Comments
Drop your comment here ⬇