There has been a lot of discussion lately about immigrants, whose viewpoints should be considered, so I decided to write a poem about my favorite immigrant, my father, Carl Nielsen, who entered this country in 1912 -- legally.  It took him seven years to complete the requirements for citizenship.  He confided many things to me, including his early homesickness for his native land. The word  "Hjemve" means  "Homesickness" in Danish.

Hjemve

Sometimes alone, I long for home
For loved ones back in Denmark;
I yearn to roam the fishing wharves
Of Copenhagen’s harbor.
That’s where I dreamed a foreign sea
Might find a better home for me.

Heartha Whitlow
January 17, 2010