Where I'm From

I saw this on a friend's site and it made me nostalgic. I love the idea, so I had to snatch it up for myself to capture some of my childhood memories, too...

I am from boogie boards and hopscotch, Disney, hide and seek and three-wheelers, from Quaker Oatmeal, Kraft mac-and-cheese and waldorf salad (which nobody ever really ate), Sam's choice and gardetto's at the Y with Mom and scrambled eggs in the morning with Dad.

I am from the apartment above my aunt's in a run-down brick complex with innumerable playmates running around; from the apartment with the pogo stick stashed in the basement that was up three flights of stairs, one of which my brother fell down at least once; from the big red house with the giant barn to match and the gym out back on a shady dirt road- with the sandpits behind it where we could go "sliding" and pick berries along the path, and the dam across the street for us to swim in; from the green ranch with a swath of land that I could run through to get to my best friend's house, where there were ghosts in the cemetery and a clubhouse in the loft, ducks in the stalls and a rusty old yellow behemoth truck with a big orange stripe down it sitting out front; from the place that was two hundred years old and almost too short upstairs for us to fully stand, squeaky creaky floors and a dog pen in the yard, new flowers always blooming along the sidelines; from the three-story apartment with the noisy, cool, neighbors and my special room secluded from everyone else WAY upstairs. I am from so many places, this is merely a beginning...

I am from the lilacs in the yard- my favorite flower still, the mint sprigs growing which we were allowed to chew on, sunflowers taller than I, the prickly roses growing out front, pumpkins which overtakes gardens, chicks and hens, and bleeding hearts passed down like tradition...

I am from pajamas on Christmas Eve, carols at the foot of the steps before presents, olives on our fingers at Thanksgiving and kooky, crazy love that puts the FUN in dysFUNctional, cousins that are friends, people who will always open their door and lend a hug, from Nanas and Peps, Bushkas and Hushes, Cey-ceys and Grumps, Grammy and Peps...

I am from the clan who always runs late but gets everything done before it needs to be anyway and the peeps who can be so stubborn they can't see straight, nevermind admit that they're wrong. Because they're NOT wrong, of course. ;)

From "Don't let the bed bugs bite", "You are beautiful" and "I love you more than the stars that shine".

I am from the group that doesn't go to church, or goes only when the urge hits- which is usually never- because I don't feel I need someone to tell me that there's something larger than me in the world, that we are all connected, and that my own opinions and decisions will echo out beyond me like ripples on water (and for that reason, I should do what I know is right)... I knew it all along. I am from the group who doesn't feel guilty about this. I am from the group that says "my way isn't the only way". The group that finds comfort, spirituality and solace on trails in the woods, butterflies floating on air, sea-salted wind ripping through my hair, starry night walks, and toes that trail in sea water, ebbing in and out of rocks where I hide...

I'm from Dover, New Hampshire, France and Germany, a little bit of everything (if you were to believe my grandmother), from Pep's baked beans, from Nana's tootke, from my Dad's famous ribs with the rub.

From the land of the F*$%IN' CHICKEN!, of bears that eat Reese's, and the people who all have "Tissues"- right, O-dizz?

I am from summers at Kings and Queens- on the big yellow waterslide, playing yahtzee, searching for the perfect marshmallow roasting stick, sitting by the fire and talking. Days (and even a few midnights!) spent at "The Office"- a lazy retreat where there's always penny candy, floats with blue seahorses, lots of sand and too few towels- where it might be possible to swim all the way across if you just do it right. I am from vacations in Millinocket, trips out on the boat (but PLEASE be careful!), torturous hikes, feeding the ducks, playing random golf ball toss games. I am from movies. From hugs. From laughter.

From the place that is mine...

You can get the template to do your own version of this poem HERE.