I once lived in a place
with a sun blazing so hot it could melt skin,
with hot sticky air that some say is like taking
a shower outside.

I once lived in a place where

I could barely reach the handle to the massive door;

it swung open with a creak,

leaving a white wall.



I have viewed spectacular places

where dreams come true,

where the characters spring to life,

singing and dancing along with the music.



I’ve felt the spray of mist on the my face

as the boat speed through the bay,

water lapping at its sides.



I have traveled to a place where

heads are carved in great marble slabs--

four great Presidents: Washington, Abraham, Roosevelt, and Jefferson--

looming over the ant-like people waiting to fall.



I have experienced the joy of being an Aunt,

of holding his frail body in my arms,

the pride filling me for my brother.



I love waking up in the morning to the feeling of

finding a fluffy black ball

to say hello every morning.



I’ve been to a region where the

trees are the width of giants legs

and the canopies reach the sky -

where the stars sparkle and shine.



I have been to the city of lights -

a place where dreams are created with the role of a die or the flip of a card,

but they can also be shattered.


I now attend a place where

I can learn and grow, where dreams are discovered,

I go to a place where opportunities are endless.