Summary

“Home” begins with an unnamed speaker stating no one leaves home unless “home is the mouth of a shark.” This image indicates right away that in this poem, the word" home" will refer to war-stricken countries ravaged by political and social instability (1). The speaker then addresses the reader, saying “you only run for the border/when you see the whole city running as well” (3-4). The speaker elaborates on this image of the fleeing city, describing seeing your neighbors running alongside you, or “the boy you went to school with/who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory” behind you, holding a gun as big as his body (7-8).

The third stanza begins with the repetition of the opening phrase of the poem as the speaker says, “no one leaves home unless home chases you/fire under feet/hot blood in your belly...