I am from frostbit smiles by a warm fire
And hot cocoa with half-melted marshmallows.
Woods filled with blackberries
Painting my fingertips wine red,
Salty white water rapids,
And lazy lakes one peak over from pike’s.
I’m from the nervous shuffling on frozen
Ground, mindful of the sting of a misstep.
I am from grease in the shop
That broke bones and tastes like oil
Where the smoke burns my lungs
As the blood pools around fresh wounds,
Overflowing with memories
Disguised as things.
From a young love filled with confusion
And lost like a child in a maze.
From judgemental stares and forgiving arms,
trying to show the way.
Home divided, the eldest of four
Daughter of love, sister of protection.
I am from sprints with my sisters
Down my grandmother’s spiral stairwell.
Life has me running around the bases
From second to third
From Krypton to Metropolis
Moving around state to state
East to West
School to school.
I am from
Not knowing where I am going
But knowing where I have been.
