Where I’m From

Where I’m From

 I am from literature

from poetry and rhyme-schemes.

I am from the breezes above the mountain tops.

Gentle, swaying,

It sounds like whispers.

I am from story books

the Fairy Tales

whose magical words I live

as if they were my every life.

I’m from the dimples and smiles,

          from my Nǎinai and Zǔfù.

I’m from the hug-me-todays

          and the love-me-always

from Climb ups! And Fall downs!

I’m from the burning of incenses

          with sacred temples

          and envelopes of good luck.

I’m from Charlie and Ivy’s Branch,

white rice and sweet tea.

from the enjoyment of working out

          in the hot fields,

the delight of diving into a murky lake.

Under my pillow was a small book

filling up with memories,

a verse of emotions

to bring and give me joy.

I am from those memories -

recited before complete -

poem- spoken from the heart.

  

With thanks to Georgia Ella Lyon