Geography of the Heart
The grainy sand of the land I’m not from
Ties me to earth and yet I can’t stay
Makes me feel like a child listening to that beautiful song
I heard once, years ago, that will never replay
Cased in my deepest memories are the happiest of days
Waves billowed behind me as my brother kicked a ball around
My sister and her friend were dancing in complete disarray
As I woke up in a hot, leathered seat with the biggest frown
It’s cold and frigid in this place made of ice
Wind blows mercilessly without cessation
Ignoring my mothers calls are without a doubt my greatest vice
But she doesn't know it’s because
My “saudade” is my biggest frustration
In and out of buildings Monday through Monday
These walls know me better than I know myself
My books opened wide while my world starts crumbling
They put me on a pedestal then trap me on a shelf
But corporations only work in one way
The system wants us to never leave
For after a while of not seeing ultraviolet rays
We forget that the world did not begin with registration fees
Courses and jobs and money and friends
Balancing it all like some sort of circus pest
With an ineffable desire to go home and smell that petrichor scent
One that places me in the most somber rest
To be home is to be safe, but feel restless
To be far is to be sad and productive
I never knew a place like this could be so lawless
The juxtaposition of reality fills my days with disruption
Staring off into space never gets old
In my mind the ethereal beauty of a city of Treasure
Where all humans are created equally from the same mold
And happiness never meets stress but, instead, only
Pleasure
I connect through common ground and struggle
I grow through hardship and fear
I find everything that I have in common with others
Makes me realize that God is near
But for now I stay put with black and white
Living far away was the price needed to be paid
Sorrow and melancholy fly freely through my system like a kite
Tangled in my soul are promises to my dreams that remain
Sophia Kelly Gadelha Moreira
Sophia Moreira is a sophomore studying Nursing here at Rockhurst University. She has always enjoyed poetry and grew up writing as a form of comfort and release. This poem gives insight into glimpses of her childhood, how her decisions led her to move away from home at a young age to focus on her education, and how challenges of missing her family
evolved with her feeling like the best version of herself the more distant she is. The duality of feeling content and fulfilled while also experiencing “saudade” a Brazilian word meaning “to miss something deeply” can be very complex. Her hope is that this piece may be relatable to others even if it means something completely different to each person.