Slow Acceptance

A love poem to my suburban home

I did not want to come here. 
It was my great fear,
being swallowed by sameness.
But love has a way
of making you reconsider.

I came here and made a life.
It has flourished,
like the garden we planted.
But it wasn’t easy
since the soil is rocky.

I have been here a while.
It has grown on me,
though the city’s far away.
But that's made easier
because friends are close by.

I will stay here years more.
It wasn’t what I wanted,
this quiet space on the outskirts.
But I think it proves
that we can make a life anywhere.

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A few days ago I wrote a poem about going back to my hometown of Seattle. My good friend Kerani joked that it was so full of peace that it made her nervous that I’d move away from my current home, the suburbs of Portland, Oregon.

So, to assuage her fears, I decided to write a love poem to my home. This one’s for you, Kerani. Well, you and my family.

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