I am from Virginia summers
Trapping fireflies in a jar
Crusty macaroni at family reunions
My Snoopy fishing pole
And monkey cousins in the climbing tree

I am from the ocean
Hotels, motels, yurts, and tents
A foggy morning
A fishy smell
Jetty cats and tide pools

I am from the corner of Joy and Talent
Where people die and people laugh
Where some neighbors are close
Like threads of a scarf
And others as distant as the mountains

I am from a creaky cottage
A stable roof, but always in need of repair
A sunflower kitchen
A cramped bathroom
And the heart, a blazing woodstove

I am from younger days of blissful ignorance
When the word Iraq brought to mind only a country,
Not a war
When politics were blah-blah-blah
And Al Qaeda was fun to say

I am from Hey Jude, Can’t Buy Me Love, and Michelle
From peace and guitars
From vinyls and my dad’s band gigs





I am from the circus class
A wobbly unicycle
Balance, practice, balance, practice
And then finally, near perfection

I am from camp-outs in the backyard
Falling asleep to the singing of crickets
Dewdrops on the canvas
And tree roots under my back

I am from snowball fights and Easter egg hunts
In the pool ‘till sundown
And no more training wheels
Because I knew I could do it

I am from a family of literature
First The Bernstein Bears
Then The BFG and Tolkien
Now I create my own world
In WORDS