Today I’m supposed to write a poem of origin.
Unpacking
When somebody asks the dreaded question,
“Where are you from?”,
My brain spirals,
And I am befuddled when people are able to give definite answers,
Like “Bengaluru”, or “Rangia”, or “Singapore”,
It amazes me that people can point to a location on the map and say
This is where I came from,
Ignoring all of the events that operated to get you to that particular area,
Stretching as far as the Big Bang,
And the evolution of human civilization.
But I spiral because I don’t have a definite answer.
I’ve lived ten years one place,
seven years another,
and now four years in another place.
So where am I really from?
What location best reflects who I am?
For me that answer is where I unpacked my suitcase last,
And decided I would call someplace home.
Tejas Rao 