Staying away from your own
When miles away from home
Culture in which I wasn’t born
One look and minutes gone
Past memories trying to shrink
Shake my head and blink

No mirth left in my jokes
When no one around were my folks
Voices I was tuned to
Faces I was familiar with
Footprints I can still trace
Places I left to chase

The fragrant air is new
Asking about me are the very few
The hurried morning rises in me
The weary evening sets in me
Planes I see overhead
Thinking, trip to my country is ahead

Days don’t seem to run
No mood to party and fun
Sleeping in my wallet is the dollar
Big, huge and green the color
Acquaintance with the hardest book
It was life’s decision, not mine to cook

Closed eyes bring me a picture
Of my family and not any stranger
Eyes of a beautiful mother
Shoulders of a proud father
Smile of a cheerful brother
Advise from a nutty sister

How close are you to me
Staying away did I realise this…