Exile noun | ˈɛɡ‚zaɪlˈ | 1. The state of being barred from one’s home country. As in, fleeing in exile, clutching what little could be carried. A grandmother’s candlesticks. A father’s prayer book. A mother’s lullaby, soft in a foreign tongue. 2. A forced departure, a scattering. As in, exiles from Spain, wandering through Europe, finding refuge, then losing it again. As in, fleeing the pogroms, the homes burned behind them. As in, pushed from professions, universities, neighborhoods — told: You don’t belong here.
Exile verb | ˈɛɡ‚zaɪl, ˈɛk,saɪl | 1. To remove, to cast out. As in, laws that exile without saying exile. Quotas. Restrictions. Signs that say, “No Jews.” A house that should have been home, taken. 2. To live, always carrying an escape plan. As in, a suitcase packed, just in case. As in, passports ready, just in case. As in, remembering what happens when they say it can’t happen here.
Ari Benenson ’27was recognized with a Lamont Younger Poets Prize for this poem in May. The prize honors poems of exceptional promise written by preps and lowers, and commemorates the dedication of English Instructor Rex McGuinn to student poetry at Exeter. This poem was originally published in the Fall 2025 edition of The Exeter Bulletin.
