Adelaide Literary Magazine - 11 years, 90 issues, and over 3700 published poems, short stories, and essays

FAR FROM HOME: AN IMMIGRANT’S JOURNEY

ALM No.93, September 2026

POETRY

Sarah M. Prindle

8/21/20261 min read

The ship pitches in the waves,

rocking back and forth

even as it plunges forward

into the unknown.

The immigrant woman rests on her bunk,

struggling to tame the churning sea

of her stomach

of her nerves.

Behind her, the meadows of Ireland,

ahead, the American frontier.

Behind her, pinched faces and famine,

ahead, the chance for a better future.

Can she balance hope

and heartache?

The bad memories

and the good ones?

She’s at the halfway point

between her past and her future,

between life in Ireland

and in America.

Is she leaving home,

or is she heading towards it?

Sarah M. Prindle received an Associate in English from Northampton Community College. She loves reading everything from historical fiction and memoirs to poetry and mysteries. She hopes to someday publish her own novels and poetry collections and has already had her work published in several literary magazines and websites.

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