Longing for a person or a place is part of being human. This moving poem reminds us that beneath all our earthly longings is an even deeper one—the longing for our true home with God.

I am raising a homesick child—
who cries over leaving her abuela
an ocean behind
and her grandma
a few states over.

I am raising a homesick child—
who savors the sun
on her winter white skin
and quickens her tiny feet
whenever she spots a shore.

I am raising a homesick child—
whose heart yearns
for everyone and everything that is away;
growing grass she longs to touch,
ocean wind she longs to feel.

I am raising a homesick child—
who doesn’t realize yet
that she (like me) is a pilgrim.
That she (like me) feels the grief
of separation.

I am raising a homesick child—
who will one day ask after the ache
in her bones.
and I will be there
to let her know it is a longing
for an eternal place.

“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come”
(Hebrews 13:14).

Excerpt from Under the Samán Tree: Poems on Home, Longing, and Belonging by Rosa Lía Gilbert. Used with permission of The Way Back Books. Copyright © 2025 Rosa Lía Gilbert. All rights reserved.

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