Finley Brownstein

Finley Brownstein is a finalist in the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County’s 2021 Youth Poetry Competition (K-5), for his poem, “What Home Means To Me.”

Poem on Belonging

WHAT HOME MEANS TO ME

I have troubles and struggles during my day, but there is somewhere I know I can go, my home, a house is nice with air conditioning, a TV and other luxuries, some people just can’t wait to get home and get on their phone. But to me, a home isn't like that. To me, it’s not just the four walls and a roof, not the soft carpet and somewhere to rest, it's the people that live there, my family, and they are not just the people that make me feel better, they are my home, they are the brick and mortar the roof over my head, they are my resting place, when a member is out it's like a hole in the roof, one less shingle to block out the rain. One less person to ease my pain. When I fail to keep the house in tact, the walls crumble, but that's the time when I become their home, and apologize for the hurt I made them feel, I become the roof over their heads, I protect them, I block out the lightning and hail, I hold up my family, my roof, until they are strong, and together we work as a family, forming a home, a barrier blocking out the discomforts of the world.

Copyright © 2021 by Finley Brownstein. Used with permission of the author.