Elsewhere (to be a foreigner)

Closed eyes and a slow inhale

She sends tears inward

Collecting herself for the day.

She converses,

giggles, cracks a smile

Always wishing herself to

A Perfect Elsewhere,

An Unknown Homeland;

Somewhere to quietly belong.

She wishes herself

To a forest nook

A place to read and write

A place to love

in silence.

For if she swims in silence,

So does her mind.

She prays for this Elsewhere,

Of Keen Listeners and Beloveds understanding

Of this strange introversion.

When she has time, she talks to them

About the weather

Or piranhas which sometimes swarm her.

But with a snap,

Reality flows in.

Clenching her fist, she draws another breath.

Because one must take a moment

To remember their humanity

In order to cope with other

Human Beings.