I am from Fantasy Lane, clay wars, and roaming the forest
with The Beatles melodies filling the stillness in between
the trees.

I am from rolling soft hills of sand, reminding me of the
good times had by all when the world seemed larger than
life.

I am from my ‘Kingdom’, where a whole other place existed
right behind a tree, where you could reveal the secret of
who you really are without fear of judgment.

I am from Grandma’s tofu spice cookies, filled with crunchy
pecans and flavorful spices, which connect the incredible
goodness of warm cookies to health.

I am from the tree house on the ground, the relax rock with
cushioned moss seats, and the big white barn, wheezing
dust, discovery and adventure.

I am from bursting a vocal cord flying over the ‘big drop’
in the go-cart, last minute reflex swerving saving us from
the trees that stood, unmoving, in our path [Suzanne’s
Fault].

I am from nature, growing up around and in it until it was,
and is, the very core of my being.
From majestic waterfalls, overwhelming mountaintop views,
and the feeling of vertigo as you stand on top of the stone
that has been there for centuries longer than you have even
existed.
Blood Mountain, where I stood upon and felt invincible so
many years ago, when life only mattered one minute at a
time, where present was all and past long forgotten.

Images of memories go by as though I am driving in a
speeding car down a highway, looking out the side window at
the faces in the scenes as they pass in a blur…
The blood rushes to my head as my Dad holds me upside down
over the edge of our porch, my thoughts race, knowing that
he won’t drop me as Mom spots him and screams to put me
down; That disappears and I see another image up ahead…
My heart beats hypnotically as I swing back and forth,
feeling the momentum in every push, my voice penetrating
the background rustle of the leaves swishing on the forest
ground…











the sun fades, darkness creeps at the sides of my view…
Sleep tugs at the edges of my consciousness, as I hear a
soft river of music floating in and out of my senses…
‘Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry, go to sleep little baby’… I
float farther away into a land only my imagination can
replay, and the last trickle of music dries...
‘When you wake, you’ll have cake, and all the pretty little
horses.’

I stand, both feet firmly placed in this one spot at this
one moment in time, where I tilt my head to watch the stars
poking holes in the velvet of the night sky, forever
chasing the sun round and round, I stand and feel the earth
shift, feel it move beneath my feet, feel it hold me tight,
and I know that I belong here; This is where

I Am From.