Where I'm From, #1

I am from the British Isles
and the provinces of France
that are sometimes German,
and from Cherokee blood and
probably that of slaves--
my very own melting pot.

I am from the prairie
where grasses and wildflowers
once reigned, now replaced
with soybeans and corn,
the soil, black and fertile,
life-giving.

I am from the flat land,
where only silos break
the rhythm of the horizon,
and the sky is so big that
I can see sunrise and sunset,
stars, and infinite possibilities.

I am from a town of faculty
and business people, and poor
without hope.  For some it leads
to riches, for others to new discoveries,
and, for the invisible, it is only
a dead end.

I am from a family where
I was the only child and loved.
I lived in a make believe world of dolls
and playing school, and books and books
and books, escapes from the
anxiety that controlled our real lives.

I am from friends and cousins
who have become my siblings,
who played with me, distracted me,
and today help keep my memories alive.
I hold them in my heart, and
they accept me as I am.

I am from daydreams and
wonder, silence and solitude,
on a journey of my own,
looking for that peace
that transcends all understanding,
filled with an internal fire to achieve.

I am from dust,
created in Her image,
holder and reflector of Her
light, Her hands and feet
in this world, until I am
dust again,
born into eternal life.


A writing prompt based on “Where I’m From” by poet George Ella Lyon