To Be Diaspora During a Revolution

I watch protests become revolution,

wonder if this will be the one
to stitch my family back home.

I watch protests become revolution,

wonder why the bloodshed of women resisting
is not newsworthy enough, worry their fight
will be relegated to footnotes
in my grandchildren’s textbooks.

I watch protests become revolution,

give myself permission to imagine a future
where I walk with my children
down streets in Tehran not allowed
to blossom into memory.

And yet: no matter how much I amplify their voices,
I am not the one risking my life.

I am left to wonder if I even deserve to return home.