From the newborn’s first cry to the rustling of maple leaves, Cathy Xinman’s poem “Where Is Your Home?“ employs layered imagery to explore abstract ideas such as home, ancestry, and nationhood. With emotional clarity and philosophical depth, the poem moves from an intimate moment into a broader meditation on heritage, migration, and the histories that shape our sense of belonging.
“Where Is Your Home?” resonates through its evocation of the universal search for connection. It invites readers to reflect on what it means to be rooted in a land shaped by generations of footsteps and dreams. With quiet strength and lyrical reverence, the poem speaks to those navigating cultural memory, reconciliation, and the future—offering a shared sense of wonder, hope, and belonging.
Where Is Your Home?
by Cathy Xinman
He must have rejoiced—
your cry was so beautiful.
The first cry of a newborn, like fire,
broke the silence,
found its meaning.
As your voice climbed upward,
you saw more people
from all corners of the earth.
That child sitting by the sea—
such a beautiful shoreline.
Where is your home?
What place became your home?
The children of this soil,
the fathers and mothers of this soil,
the ancestors of this soil—
what inspires you?
O child of this native land,
on earth layered with thousands of years of history,
in the footprints of the Indigenous and voyageurs,
in the ever-rustling wind of maple leaves—
we see how you rise.
Where is your home?
True North,
beneath the sky of love.
Child, may your blessings and praise
roll like the surging sea,
embracing the vast North.
Cathy Xinman writes poetry in Chinese and English. Her English-language collection is entitled Where You Love Yourself. Find it on Amazon. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
