I am from rich soil
from unbeaten paths and unfathomable rocks.
I am from rippling waters, rainbow fish, and hidden caves--
high cliffs and leaping hearts.
I am from 3 AM adventures where
  starry skies filled my eyes.

I am from Ellis Island and Baker’s flour and
Amish faces looking away.
I am from motor mouths, cackling laughs, and ‘Killer Queen’--
Elbows never on the table.
I am from new states each summer where
home’s, a foreign land.

I am from Balyssa and Civan,
sleepovers and sirens.
I am from French coffee, graveyards, and scrambled eggs--
crisp winds and moonlit lives.
I am from 13 people--
and that unforgotten night. 

I am from then and now.
Curly hair and wrinkled smiles.
I am from that small, yellow house and
my future beyond those doors.
I am from a world of things
but I’ll always look for more.