An Immigrant’s Dilemma

NaBloPoMo 2021

I wish years ago I had a crystal ball

When, young and audacious, I heeded the call

Of adventure- I wanted to explore

Therefore I left my homeland’s shore

To settle in a new country, lured by

The promise of freedom, the hope of flying high

Backed by the unwavering support always

Of my anchors at home, I was confident in those days

That the physical distance was just a number to know

In the connected modern world, freely we could go

From one country to another, this would not be

An issue at all, I thought confidently

Family responsibilities I did not have quite yet

I had no idea how complicated life could get..

*

More than a decade later, well-settled I am in this land

With a young family of my own, now I understand

How complex it becomes when you have to navigate

Between two countries that thousands of miles separate

Raising young children and building a career here

Guilt of leaving parents back home to steer

Themselves alone through aging and illness

The conundrum gets harder to process

To uproot them and ask them to adapt in a country new

Making them live a life they did not choose, seems selfish to do

Immigration laws, pandemics, travel restrictions can interfere

And complicate the situation, there is a constant fear

That physically meeting each other in a time of need

Could prove to be quite difficult indeed..

*

I am successful and contented with the life I have made

I cannot help wonder if I would have stayed

In my homeland if a crystal ball I had seen

How different would our lives have been?