Background

Home poem comes from Conversations About Home (at the Deportation Centre) in Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (2011). She wrote it after visiting a refugee shelter in London. She met many people who had lost their homes. They came from countries like Somalia, Sudan, and Syria. Their stories made her very sad. She saw how much pain they carried inside. She wanted the world to understand their suffering. It became famous during the European refugee crisis. Many people were escaping from the war at that time. They were seeking safety in other countries. Warsan Shire’s parents were also Somali refugees. She understood the pain of losing one’s homeland. 

Home Summary

Refugees and the Pain of Leaving Home: The poem Home by Warsan Shire tells about refugees and their deep pain. People never leave home by choice. They leave only when life becomes dangerous. The poet says home is like the mouth of a shark. It means home becomes deadly and full of fear. People run for the border when the whole city runs. Everyone is afraid, and no one feels safe anymore. Even friends from school become soldiers with guns. Innocence and love turn into fear and war.

Fear, War, and the Forced Escape: People never plan to leave their homeland forever. When they do, they feel great sadness inside. They carry their love for the country quietly. Tearing a passport means they can never return. Swallowing its pieces means saying goodbye with pain. Parents put their children in boats to escape war. The sea is dangerous, but home is more deadly. They hide in trucks and crawl under fences to survive. They suffer from hunger, beating, and fear every day.

The Journey and Suffering of Refugees: The poet shows how refugees live like prisoners. Refugee camps are not real homes for anyone. They are treated badly and searched by strangers. They find no safety even in new lands. People call them dirty and tell them to go back. Refugees face racism, insults, and rejection everywhere. Still, they accept humiliation to save their children’s lives. Losing a child in war is the greatest pain. Home feels far away, but danger never ends.

Feelings of Loss and Longing for Home: The speaker says she wants to go home. But home is now the barrel of a gun. It means home is full of war and death. Refugees run until they reach the shore of the sea. Even there, home still chases them with fear. It feels like home whispers, “leave, run, now.” People have no choice but to escape. She feels lost and broken inside. War and exile have changed her completely. She feels unwanted in the new country. Her beauty is not beauty in this foreign land. She feels shame for not belonging anywhere. Her heart longs for love, peace, and home.

Message and Human Appeal of the Poem: The poet gives voice to refugees and their struggle. It shows that leaving home is never a free choice. People leave only when home becomes a place of death. She shows how refugees live with fear and pain. She thanks Allah for saving her from worse suffering. She remembers the cruelty of war and the burned women. The poem asks readers to feel their pain and understand them. It teaches kindness, peace, and humanity. Warsan Shire reminds the world that refugees are human beings, not strangers.