A Message In A Bottle by Julia Corpuz

I have a home away from home,

but can I even call my birthplace my own?

When you have an endless sea before you,

wouldn’t you follow the stars to meet

ends of shores too?

When you finish coming into contact

with every 

speck 

of 

sand

in any beach,

kissing every coast

with all your 

ten 

toes,

the wind dancing in

between every 

strand 

of 

hair –

Don’t ever forget there is no other

place when you felt

your first caress from the Sun

and it gave you all its gold.

Never forget when the

heavy rain starts to 

tease its way in,

leaving jeweled droplets

on bronzed skin.

But when it pours,

there is no other ulan that

welcomes you home

and leaves you anew

the way rain showers

in Luzon do.

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Julia Corpuz (they/them) states that this piece came to fruition because they were “compelled to write about missing home.” 

Julia’s Contact Info: Insta: @astraeawrites

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Originally published in October 2019.