I was greeted to this campus

With “Welcome home”

So many times

That I naively assumed

I was safe to be myself.

I was told “You belong”

And I believed it,

Until I was “welcomed” with bitter stares,

Silently asking: “Why are you here?”,

“What could you have to offer?”

Determined to provide answers,

I buried myself deep in work

Seeking the validation

I realized I never needed.

A home is never spoken into existence,

it’s fostered over time. 

I decided I would make my own

Like a robin building it’s nest,

Carefully tending to each twig,

Preparing for the weathering storms of spring