Home

By Wanda Tse

you can’t call it ‘coming home’

if it is to an empty house

           to unkept promises

           to debts unpaid

i wander the rooms and halls

   turning on lights

   to fill the void with artificial life

are these my footsteps

       or the echo of when you walked away

and left me

                   to raise myself?

                                                            your sewing machine sits in the corner

                                                            you use it to stitch together

                                                            a living

                                                            enough to pay for your vices

                                                            a piecework existence

will you one day realize

       how quickly

                        the years have slipped away?

                                                            a needle is thin

                                                            but it’ll still go through your finger

© Wanda Tse, 2021

Wanda Tse is a high school English teacher turned social worker. As a kid, she dreamt of becoming a writer or a Broadway star. Wanda lives in Toronto, and in her spare time, she enjoys watching movies, cooking elaborate multi-course meals, and finding new places to explore.