I am from the Abandoned house,
Whose walls had stood empty long enough,
Whose crumbling stairs and vines needed company,
I still keep a brick,
I still smell the dry dust, like a cool basement,
I hear laughter,
Now just an open spot in the woods

I am from misty forests,
Dark and deep, a creek trickling,
Fireflies like faeries in the trees,
I am from moonlit streets,
The rough gravel under my sneakers,
The pranks, the escapes, my first freedom

I’m from my first catch,
A Blue Gill, splashing in the cool water,
Clear droplets sparkle like diamonds,
I’m from my cousin’s go-kart, he made it himself,
The taste of old gas in the air,
Sweat dripping under the helmet

I hail from the sweltering cow pastures,
Tall grass wavering, rippling in the breeze,
Like a windswept sea,
Creeping close enough to caress damp noses

I am from Alice’s journey through Wonderland,
And her adventures beyond the looking glass,
I’ve spoken with the Mock Turtle,
Who weeps without sorrow,
It’s his fancy,
I am from the Walrus and the Carpenter,
From Tweedledee to Tweedledum,
I alone defeated the Jaberwock

I’m from the void left by my pup,
Just a pup myself,
What is a boy without his dog?
I am from a shifted perspective,
an unsane mind