Alligator

The alligator in “Homegoing, AD” represents the danger to black bodies. The danger exists even in a space called home. Just as one should zigzag when running from an alligator, the poem zigzags.

Baldwin’s home in France

Baldwin’s home represents the private lives and the private sufferings of black people. It is at Baldwin’s home that Ghansah realizes that Baldwin is more than his legend status. Like most black men of his generation, he died a slow, black death.

Burial grounds in Portsmouth

The burial grounds represent legacy and connection. Walters looks to the burial grounds to soothe a deep loneliness. She believes the loneliness stems from a force older than her and hopes to find a connection to her past that will allow her to feel more at home in her body and the world.

American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts

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