I am from....

 

I Am From…

 

I am from pendulum clocks,

from Kool-Aid and linoleum

I am from the finished basement,

deep, musty, a refuge on hot nights

I am from the Chinese Maple,

made of glass in ice storms,

that dripped like soup in sunlight

I’m from brown station wagons and bowling alley birthdays,

backyard orchards and cellar pantries

I’m from “God doesn’t see you, you’re not baptized”

to “I’ll find God on my own”

From Leon and Everett

I’m from addictive personalities and infidelity

From “we can do this the easy way or the hard way”

I’m from The Old Line state, Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch)

Sweet corn and Old Bay

From my jock father turned hippie,

from my babysitter since 2 weeks old

In the books under sheaths of plastic, sit paused memories

At once a comfort and a scar

-- Katee Myers