Video version of the poem in my voice — https://www.youtube.com/shorts/A750cjXL_Jg
They say Canada was built by hands
that arrived carrying oceans in their eyes.
Suitcases full of old prayers.
Pockets lined with unfinished goodbyes.
And I came here too —
carrying two homes,
one in my hands,
one breaking quietly inside my chest.
I shovel snow
outside a house
that still does not fully know my name.
I stand beneath a winter sky
that looks back at me
like a question.
When they ask,
where are you really from,
I smile.
Not because it is easy.
Because I have learned
that sometimes survival
wears the face of politeness.
I work.
I pay.
I learn.
I adapt.
I rise before sunrise
and ride crowded buses
with other invisible builders
of this country.
We are the ones
who keep the lights on
while the world pretends
not to see our hands.
And when things go south —
when rents climb,
when jobs vanish,
when systems crack
under the weight of their own promises — the blame begins its journey
towards people like me.
As if immigrants
arrive carrying the storm.
As if we brought the cracks.
As if we are the reason
for every wound this country refuses to name.
But listen —
I did not cross an ocean
to become a headline.
I did not leave behind a life
just to be blamed
for the hunger of a broken system.
I came here
with hope in my ribs
and belief in my luggage.
I came here
to build,
to learn,
to belong.
And still,
despite the distance,
despite the suspicion,
despite the cold gaze
of a land still deciding
whether I am allowed to stay — I plant my dreams here anyway.
Between double shifts.
Between winter mornings.
Between midnight calls home
that end with silence
because love, sometimes,
is too large for words.
And I keep going.
Because belonging
is not always given.
Sometimes
it is built.
Brick by brick.
Breath by breath.
Snow by snow.
Until even a cold land
starts to feel
like home.
PS I am not a poet and I don’t know if this was in fact a poem?
Or not… it was just the reality of an immigrant.
This was THE WEIGHT OF BELONGING, thank you for reading!
Canada has given me so much, and I truly cherish the inclusiveness and kindness I have experienced here. This poem does not represent the majority of people in this country. The individuals I know here are compassionate, welcoming, and wonderful human beings. However, the hatred and division I often see spread across social media are deeply upsetting, and this poem is a message to those who choose to spread such negativity. Despite their hatred, I have chosen to respond with love, because kindness will always be stronger than fear and prejudice 🖖.
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