2025/Daniel -

I am from the West Indies in the Caribbean,

From tropical beaches and warm climate.

I am from the markets under the night sky.

It smelled like fried chicken.

I am from The Land of the Morning Calm,

The great fruits and lively markets

Whose cooking I remember as if they were my own.

I am from the trails and tracks,

From Lixander and Alexandra.

I am from the caring

And the determined,

From “Lower your voice.” and “Daniel!”

I am from the sandy beaches

With a clear sky

And ten sandcastles I can make myself.

I’m from dense forests and purple dandelions,

Snow and snowmen.

From the friends lost to the people I met

To the running used to keep me determined.

Under my bed was my dog spilling food,

A toy of fuzz

To drift beneath my dreams.

I am from those moments

Where I worked before I played

I am a leaf growing from the family tree.

- Inspired by George Ella Lyon