Tiger Feathers

Where I'm From

I am from the valley,

made of silicon and steel

ringed by gold green hills

that dream of being mountains.

I am from the place,

where jocks spend Friday nights

not partying and getting drunk

but locked in their rooms studying.

I am from the city,

where getting 100% on a test

is not considered good

but only just acceptable.

I am from the neighborhood,

where stray bunnies find home

in the old, abandoned toolsheds

sitting in our backyards.

I am from the house,

that looks more like a cottage

with an uneven tiled roof

and criss-crossing yellow stripes.

I am from the rooms,

that smell of flowers and incense

put out in honor of our dead

whose ghosts still haunt our memories.

I am from myself,

and everything I am.