Once a Home

Thought to be mine till the end,
Yet betrayed before the ending came.

For years,
I sought shelter within its walls,
Only to find
Those years surviving as memories alone.

Lost in tangles
That seemed effortless for others to undo.

Creased beneath
The perfection of an iron—
Smoothed where I had once been whole.

To know what it is to be lost
In the very place
Where I had once felt free.

A home, once mine,
Now only remembers me
As I remember it.

Author's Note Once a Home was inspired by the quiet realization that a home is more than its walls — it is the people who fill it with warmth. As childhood slowly gave way to growing up, my family became scattered across different cities, leaving behind an emptier house and a different kind of silence. While preparing for my board examinations, I found myself facing that silence more often, reflecting on how places can remain the same while the feeling of home changes. This poem is an attempt to capture the grief of losing a sense of belonging without ever leaving the place itself.

About the Author Khushi Bose Calcutta · India

Khushi Bose is a writer from Calcutta, India.

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