Poems

Where I'm From

I am from blankets wrapped around me after birth,

          And the ones I snuggled up under to feel their warmth and safety.

I am from the books my mom read to me before bed,

          And all the softballs my dad would toss to me so I could hit.

I am from the songs my brother would sing to me when I was a baby

          And all the video games he introduced to me when I was older.

I am from the memories I've made with family, friends, or by myself.

I am from the honeysuckle near the woods surrounding my elementary school's playground,

          The ones that other students and I would try to eat behind the teachers' backs.

From the corn fields surrounding the only neighborhood I've ever lived in.

I'm from the bluegrass that cooled my feet as I walked,

From all the trees in my yard that I would always climb,

          No matter the shoes I wore or if I was even barefoot.

I'm from the books I love to read.

From the scent that never wears off of their pages.

I'm from all the words I've written

          And all the words I've yet to write.

I'm from the horror movies that make me feel paranoid,

From Skeleton's Lair and all the fun memories I've made there.

I'm from the holiday I can use to scare people

          Or dress however I want

I am from the daydreams I've had on the school bus

I am from the childish dreams I still hold onto and the ones I've yet to wonder.

From the nightmares that kept me hidden in my bed.

To the dreams that make me smile.

I'm from the trips to school where I saw dogs, horses, and cows.

From the fields of crops and knee-high grass that grow anywhere they can.

I'm from the warmth I feel as I run around my backyard.

All the way to the wind that blows the leaves and the blades of green grass.

From the plants that signify home,

From the trees I will always want to climb.

But most importantly, I am from the family that always welcomes me home.