Homesickness has a cure, and it rhymes. Five poems for the far away:
1. Amar Shonar Bangla, Rabindranath Tagore: Bangladesh's national anthem, and the purest love letter to the homeland. Ten lines and you are standing in a paddy field. 2. Abar Ashibo Fire, Jibanananda Das: the promise of return. Every expat has whispered it at an airport. 3. Banalata Sen, Jibanananda Das: Natore, the weary traveler, the peace of belonging somewhere. Distance makes it hit harder. 4. Keu Kotha Rakheni, Sunil Gangopadhyay: nostalgia in its most honest form, thirty three years of it. 5. Tomake Pawar Jonno Hey Swadhinata, Shamsur Rahman: love of a free homeland, by Bangladesh's beloved poet. Sources: Banglapedia, Rabindranath Tagore - Wikipedia Keep one on your phone, saved offline. Homesickness arrives without warning, usually at night, usually when the city outside speaks another language.