avatarStephen Dalton

Summary

Stephen Dalton reflects on the concept of "home" amidst extensive travel, family dispersal, and the constraints of a global pandemic, while also sharing poems from fellow poets that resonate with him.

Abstract

In a reflective piece titled "Where Do You Call Home?" Stephen Dalton, a retired US Army First Sergeant and writer, ponders the elusive definition of home. Having visited 38 states in the USA and 20 countries, Dalton struggles with the idea of where home truly is, especially with his children living in Korea and the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated his ability to travel and decide where to settle, leaving him to pray for the chance to spend holidays with his family in different locations. He cites Robert Frost and Henry David Thoreau to illustrate the complexities of home and the comfort of distant friendships. Dalton also promotes the work of three poets whose pieces have touched him deeply: Amritansh Sagar's "Say The Night to Hold Me," Sujani Hansanali's "Sitting Beside a Lake," and Selena Martin's "The Man Who Saw Dragons." The article concludes with a brief biography of Dalton, noting his professional background, current residence in the Philippines, and his contact information and social media profiles.

Opinions

  • Dalton expresses a deep sense of homesickness and uncertainty about where to call home due to his extensive travels and family being spread across different countries.
  • He acknowledges the difficulty of choosing a place to settle when it means being far from loved ones regardless of the choice.
  • The author feels the impact of the pandemic has exacerbated his sense of displacement and limited his ability to visit family.
  • Dalton finds solace and inspiration in the poetry of others, indicating a strong connection to the poetic community and the power of shared experiences through art.
  • He quotes Robert Frost and Henry David Thoreau to emphasize the emotional and social dimensions of the concept of home, suggesting that it is not just a physical place but also a space of acceptance and connection.

Where Do You Call Home?

In response to the ‘Never-Ending Poem’ from Share the Love and a Prompt “Home” by Suryatapa in Friends ’Til Eternity.

“A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.”

— Robert Frost

Image Created by the Author

How do you describe Home?

Is it true as they say, “Home is where the heart is”?

It’s difficult to say as I write this poem.

Where home is seems a quiz.

Since I left my childhood home I have traveled far and wide.

38 United States and 20 countries I’ve seen.

Where exactly is my home I cannot decide.

So challenging to choose between.

Two of my grown children live in Korea.

In the states is my other daughter, sisters, and brother.

Where I’d like to settle, I have no idea,

I don’t know which I’d druther.

Wherever I settle will be far from someone I love.

It’s closer to Korea here in the Philippines

But so many more opportunities in America, the United States of

I’m so confused, I don’t know where or what home means.

Much worse now this virus divides us.

It keeps me from traveling here or there.

So, for now, which way I go I can’t even discuss.

For now, I will not despair, just say a prayer.

I am praying Korea for Thanksgiving, maybe

Christmas in Maine, and back here for New Years.

Only He knows which way it will be,

If I can do all three, it’ll be happy tears and cheers!

Another of Robert Frost’s quotes about home is, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”

“Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” Henry David Thoreau

As I said in my last, for every poem I write, I will share three of my fellow poet’s verses. However, these will not be just any poem but poems that touch my heart, make me laugh, or inspire me somehow.

Let’s start with Amritansh Sagar’s Say The Night to Hold Me ’Til I’m swept with the wind, away. It is very touching.

Sujani Hansanali is one of my favorite poets. Her personifications of nature are truly impassioned. Sitting Beside a Lake lets you feel the magic of nature all around.

In the third poem, Selena Martin broaches my favorite topic: Dragons in The Man Who Saw Dragons

About the Author Photo by Jean Springs from Pexels

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Currently living in the Philippines, Stephen is a Top Writer in Virtual Reality.

You can see his portfolio here. Email [email protected]

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