2024/Emma-28759

I am From…

I am from the salty sea air

And the road made of shells

From my heart pounding in my ears

As I search for the Ghost in the Graveyard

From the rattle of a horse trailer

As twelve kids play tag on its metal frame

I am from the dirt in my fingernails

Refusing to leave after a day of playing outside

From the scrapes and bruises i received

After making childish decisions

From the taquitos and pizza

Made lovingly by my mom

I am from the pine-crested mountains

A part of sixteen hands reaching around a sequoia

From the music I heard and loved

Dancing with my siblings

From the excited shout I gave

As I mastered a brand new skill

I am from the books I have read

Warm golden pages filled with impactful words

From the calluses on my fingers

Made by shining silver strings on a chocolate-colored violin

From the splinters and paint splatters

Received when working on fences

I am from the laughter of my friends

Both here and ones long left

From explorations made

In a new and strange place

From tight and warm embraces

That last forever in a moment

I reach up and grab the boxes

Then sit on my bed and look

At the pictures and keepsakes from my life

Collected over the course of seventeen years

Hundreds of memories and lessons

Are encased in every one