“roots”

by Safiya Cherfi

I live across the river from where you were born

I can see it from 

my living room window

Hundreds of miles from 

where I was born.

Funny that I should end up here because

it wasn’t deliberate

Landing a stone’s throw from 

my roots

I didn’t know that’s where you were born until 

I lived here.

Roots were pulling me back 

dragging me in

to the start

the heart of them

There’s no limit to how far roots 

can be stretched

No telling when they’ll start 

tugging at you

No knowing how strong 

the pull will be

Or how long you can 

bear the pull for.

Safiya Cherfi is a writer and book reviewer based in Scotland. She writes short stories, published in Gutter, Sundial Magazine, and Bandit Fiction, and is currently working on a novel. She is also an editor for Overtly Lit.