Poems – 9/2020 on

I am from

Keeley Irwin

i am keeley

i am from our big green garden

from beatles and bears

i am from a big brown house

and sunflowers

i am from the moon

whose lights further me

i am from candles and tea

from lucille and gary

and from strawberry picking in the spring

from sadness

i am from sunday night dinner

from ice cream and art

from fighting

and from loss

i am charlie boy

i am from the moments of fall

i am keeley

I am From

Sarah Benson

I am Sarah

I am from a swing set that I would soar on all day

from a box of toy cars and my box of jewellery

I am from a blue sided house that had a big window in the front for me to watch life go by

and the scary storage room with our microwave

I am from a maple tree that peaked over my neighbour’s fence

Whose leaves made the best piles in autumn

I am from our van that took us on many adventures and our camera that captured all of the memories

from Benson and Hollows

and from humour and sarcasm

from being extremely empathetic and caring

I am from writing a letter to Santa each year 

from summer berry pie and british custard

from some adoptions that make my family a mystery

and from fighting in World War 2

I am from a tricycle

I am from the moments of adrenaline before going on stage

I am Sarah and these are the memories that I hold so dearly

I am Sarah and this is where I came from

I Am From

Laia Carrion Batet

I am Laia

I am from the game’s room that as a child I used to spend hours and hours,

From my doll house, my skates 

I am from the table where I spent so much time trying to finish the food I didn’t like

And the sofa where I used to fell asleep while watching movies

I am from the roses I watered every week

Whose smiled at me every time that I did that

I am from my scooter, my shoes with lights

From my mom and dad

And from the sandwiches my grandmother made me every day after school

From the school mornings in which my grandfather made me finish all my breakfast

I am from the christmas dinners where the whole family gathers

From my grandmother’s macaroni and my dad’s omelet

I am from the moments I spent with the people I love.

I Am From 

By Hailey Olney

I am from tall trees that I used to climb,

From the rocks and sticks that I collected.

I am from the happiness,

And the competitiveness of my family.

I am from the many flowers,

Who were bright and colourful.

I am from the pumpkins and the snow,

From the witches and overplayed Christmas songs,

And from the glasses and the laughs,

From the pure weirdness that makes us family.

I am from Christmas brunch, and tailored costumes, 

From homemade buns, and banana bread.

I am from the divorce of my grandma

And from the death of the other.

I am from the moments of joy, and am the reflection of the past.

Where I’m From: Hannah Pretorius

I am Hannah

I am from rental movies from the DVD store

From fish and chips takeout and walks along the harbour

I am from the big beautiful nature reserve right in my backyard

And the round pool where I would rescue frogs from the gutter

I am from the big lemon tree 

Whose lemons never ripened

I am from the wooden rocking horse and pretty, blonde barbie dolls

From Pretorius and Maakal

And from stubbornness and impulsiveness

From change and braveness

I am from swimming in the ocean on christmas day

From biltong and braais

From moving across the world

And from starting over

I am riding in the trunk, unbuckled to my friends house

I am from the moments of loneliness

I am Hannah and this is where I’m from

I Am From

Annabelle Gerber

I am Ocean

I am from stories upon shelves

From oak wood and ghosts

I am from warmth

and curiosity 

I am from gardens

who grew up along side me

I am from pencils and paper

from Morris and Gerber

and from creativity and adventure

I am from christmas eve churches

from soiled egg salad and barbeque smoke

from finding a new life

I am from friends I never thought would leave

I am from the moments fear traced my steps

I am made from experiences

I am  From

Dayton Mason

I am Dayton

I am from flannel fitted sheets,

from Chevrolets and loud Apple Music.

I am from a beautiful countryside,

and a home for animals and people alike.

I am from a cherry blossom tree,

whose presence signifies love.

from Swedish and Indigeonous descent,

and from open minds and open arms.

from constant music.

I am from sunday school and presents of Christmas Eve,

from meatballs and salmon, 

from world record bighorns,

and from big game hunting.

I am an instrument.

I am from the moments that define me for me.

I am who I am.

I am Me.

I Am From

 Julia Penner

am from refusing to sleep in my crib,

from always carrying around my signature blanket,

and keeping my stuffed animals close.

I am from watching childhood shows, 

from singing Spongebob’s “Best Day Ever,”

and tormenting my parents with “In The Night Garden.”

I am from running around the house as fast as I can, 

from falling on the Slip n’ Slide, 

holding my breath as long as possible,

and racing my friends in the swimming pool.

I am from believing in every fairytale, 

from waiting for my Christmas elf to arrive, 

and leaving cookies out for Santa.

I am from carving pumpkins,

from roasting their seeds,

and always putting way too much salt on them.

I am from dressing up for Halloween, 

from Trick or Treating with my cousins, 

and binge eating candy till I feel sick.

I am from living in the middle of no where,

from taking long walks along the canal,

and watching the water get sucked away as the boats floated by.

I am from losing my cat,

from adopting more,

and finding the lost one.

I am from doing terrible in online school,

from being extremely stressed, 

and trying my hardest.

I am from making friends in 8th grade,

from getting awards,

and having a class of thirty-two.

I am from learning electric guitar,

from taking lessons,

and trying to show off.

I am from staying up till 6am with my friends,

from playing video-games with them,

from losing some and gaining even more.

I am from moving houses,

from experiencing family problems,

and learning it’ll be okay.

I am from going on a 4-day long camping trip,

from having waves twice my size almost drown me,

from having a killer sunburn,

and complaining.

I am from worrying about school starting,

from bragging to my friends that I start later than them,

and staying up late the day before school started.

I am from starting 9th grade at Thorold Secondary, 

from getting lost in the hallways,

and trying to make a good first impression.

I am From

Lillie McKenzie

I am LillieI am from a blanket that I sleep with 

From fishing with my dad to camping 

With my family 

I am from a good home with lots of  love

Playing  with my brother and sister 

I am from fishing in the lake early in the morning to late at night 

The fish Who are in the deep water 

I am from fish hocks in my face to good times 

From Sean and Wendy

And from a loud family 

From big to small 

I am from going camping every summer 

From fish and meat 

From going hunting in early morning  and late night with my dad and brother

I’m from the moments with my family and being outdoors 

I am from the best life I could ever have asked for

WHERE I AM FROM

Ignacio Oliero del Campo 

I am from the past , where everything was bigger ,

I am from spain , where i was born , 

I am from  the love and hugs of my mom ,

I am from my parents room  , 

I am from my safe place , my dad’s big and warm arms  ,

I am from play board-games with my parents , 

I am from eat that giant chocolate ice cream ,

I am from the playgroup , 

I am from my favorite persons , my guardians , my grandparents , 

I am from my childhood .

I am from the present , where everything is different ,

I am from canada , where i am living ,

I am from the hang outs with my friends ,

I am from my room  ,

I am from my safe place , my ps5 , 

I am from watch movies , shows and play videogames with my friends ,

I am from eat sushi ,

I am from the school , 

I am from my favorite persons  , my guardians , my grandparents ,

I am from my adolescence .

I am from the future , “ my perfect place “ , 

I am from spain , 

I am from the love of my daughter and son ,

I am from my new house ,

I am from my safe place , my parents ,

I am from play  video games and board-games with my son and daughter , 

I am from cook the perfect dinner for my family , 

I am from the work , 

I 
Am From

Ulyana Doerksen

I am Ulyana.

I am from the softly glowing ceiling stars that rocked me to sleep.

Barely clinging,

they hung with love;

Though they weren’t bright or twinkly,

They kept me company.

I am from cameras and lenses,

that clicked and whirred,

 capturing my dwindling youth, 

and from doodled papers that sprawled the floor.

I am from the golden-honey sun,

peeking through the rain stained panes.

I am the cold white tiles, 

and the eggshell walls

that lined the halls.

I am from the great, big raspberry bush,

whose arms nicked and cut my own.

I am from garden flowers of

blue, pink and red, 

and from the brambles in my hair.

I am from two worlds.

They stood oceans apart;

different “hellos”,

and ways of being.

With slipping grasps,

two ropes to hold,

I am from balancing the bridge.

From hot bursts of crimson anger

To a gentle butterfly’s touch;

from a bull’s will and stubbornness,

To match my grandma’s horns.

I am from the sweet breakfasts to wake up to

on a cozy weekend morning,

from hibiscus tea and Russian crêpes,

from the warm Crimean sun,

and from leaving home for love.

I am the trembling and the worry,

of speaking to a crowd,

and from the hot round tears that came.

I am from the moments of wonder and daydream

of a watercolour vision.

I am from drawing in the margins,

and the aimless pencil marks.

The celebration of hot and cold,

shy and bold.

I am from drifting eyes

and drifting clouds.

I am from questions with no answers,

the rambles of my thoughts.

I am from here and I am from there;

I am from me.

I Am From

Morgan Godard

I am Morgan

I am from countless books

From my little ponies and monster high dolls

I am from the blue house at the top of the hill

And the two huge windows that cover its front face

I am from a staghorn sumac

Whose fuzzy hands held mine in hard times

I am from the one gift on Christmas Eve that was always PJs 

From Lynn and Sue

And from making time for one another, and intense feelings of love

From brown hair and blue eyes 

I am from eating dinner together every night 

From peanut butter cookies and huckleberry jam

From moving back to their place of origin

And from the old Toyota passed down through the generations

I am picking cherries from the towering cherry tree in the backyard

I am from the moments in which I am sad, happy, hurt and man

I am from the places I have lived, and the moments that live within them

Cyriaque Anhe 

I Am From

I am from hand washing laundry 

From soap and hands 

I am from group eating 

Where there was 1 big plate 

Of food that a big group would 

Eat. 

I’m from cocoa trees 

Whose 45 percent of cocoa 

Produced in the world comes from 

My country 

I am from hot chocolate and bread as breakfast 

From my dad and mom.

I’m From a happy home From nothing 

I’m from a give your stuff away for free 

 never sell them for money. 

I am from a Christian family 

I’m from a rice and soup family 

I’m from a place where my ancestors celebrate 

Thé festival of masks.

I’m from a place were my ancestor would wear 

Shorts or wrap shorts pieces of cloth around their bodies 

And women wear pagnes or blouses with long pieces  of coth 

That they wrap around themselves as skirts. 

I am a cocoa tree 

I am from the moments of 

Enjoying the little you have 

I am Ivorian surrounded by elephants 

I am from…

Bruna Quesada Nepomuceno

I am from the beautiful beach,

From the sunny days and waves sound,

I am prom the buildings,

The big city, the calm ocean,

That sometines, in the city, it has difficult locomotion.

I am from the sunflowers and the banana trees,

That had such cute monkeys,

That we alway gave bananas to eat.

I’m from the volleyball at the beach,

And the food table with rice and beans.

From my sister and my cousins,

I’m from the pranks and jokes we did,

And the smile when we were kids.

From my mom’s words, that we were buying the expensive doll when we get back,

Words that moms always said,

And in the end of the shopping, we never did get back.

I’m from no meat when god died,

But still have a delicious lunch that my grandma made,

I’m from the good brigadeiro,

And my mom’s delicious cake.

I’m from the Brazilians roots,

From the sunny day playing volleyball,

And then just get home at 13:00 pm,

And finally have a nice barbecue.

I’m from the sound that the piano did when me and my grandfather played together,

From the Christmas pictures that we took every year,

From every vacation that me pass in the same house,

I’m from Brazil,

The place that I love the most and always will love.

.

Salem

Ariana Alvarado 

I come from women

Who prefer not to smile.

From witches and warlocks

And spirits,

I come from the vampires

that roam the streets

Of New Orleans at night

And the cab drivers who refuse 

To take you down dark alleyways.

I come from designated drivers

And text me when you get home,

So I know you’re okay.

I come from bad decisions

With good outcomes,

Repeated mistakes

masquerading as stubbornness,

Cycles of pain

And secrets swept under rugs.

I come from ghosts hiding in pennies,

An inescapable need

To make my parents proud.

I come from constellations and guitar solos,

A love-hate relationship with life

And a hatred of the color pink.

I come from evolution,

Because as I grow I realize 

There is absolutely nothing wrong 

With the color pink,

And I am nowhere near close to mapping

Every vein, every street of my hometown,

Every word in the English language.

I come from Aphrodite and Sappho,

From shame and hatred

And love and growth.

I come from duality,

Realizing that the world is not black and white,

But a twisted blend of yellows and blues

And the red that always seems to creep 

Into my dresses and dreams.

I come from washed up prom queens

And artists who never quite made it.

I come from fire and rejection after rejection

after rejection after.

I come from dreams deferred and abandoned,

Puppy love and devotion,

Shallow graves and high notes.

I come from lost men, what ifs,

Second guessing and thinking

I only wish I had done more.

I come from misunderstandings and misanthropy,

Hallucinations, Halloween, and chipped nail polish

On hands covered in dirt.

I am from dirt

And stardust.

I am so much more

Than what I come from,

Because I come from

hometown gossip

And trauma,

To give me the opportunity to say

That I come from love

I am the eerie stillness before a storm

And every downed power line.

I come from power

And sadness

And imperfections

And regret.

I come from everything and nothing at the same time,

But I still don’t know

If I’ll ever really understand

Where I’m from.

Creative Writing for Youth Workshops is a joint project of the Open Literary School of Almaty named after Olga Markova, Chevron company and the U.S. Consulate General Almaty. It is located in Almaty, Kazakhstan and run online courses for students all over Kazakhstan once a year. It is targeted at the authors aged 13-21 and aimed at teaching creative writing to emerging authors. Kazakh and Russian modules usually run simultaneously for 3-4 months.

Thanks to Erin Robertson, poet from the U.S., who visited Kazakhstan in September, 2022, teachers and students from the Creative Writing for Youth Workshops learned about the “I’m from” project and tried to write their own poems.

Alyona Timofeyeva (20 y.o.), Almaty, Kazakhstan

I am from…

I am from felt hats

From Greenfield and Reserved

A girl from Khrushchevka

Three-floored, with unpainted spots on the cladding

Like on avant garde painting

I am from daisies

Field but odorless

I am from 1st January meetings

With grandma’s laugh and cardboard shows on TV

I am from the one

who owns the world

And he is from the Victorious and Dolgorukiy

I am from boredom and support

From silly poems and gentle lullabies

I am from faith in handsome males

Which tends to disappoint me all the time

I am from Kazakh Russia and Jewish Kazakhstan

From salted watermelons and dry fruit compote

From granddad’s falling from the third floor –

He was dancing so hard that he flew over the balcony railing

I’m rom his dislocated kidney and broken ribs

I am from the brown Soviet headset

That keeps so many secrets

Which you’ll never find out

Even if you will.

Danila Toktasynova (21 y.o., Zhambyl region, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I am from the dust of the books in the archive.

I am from the law of nature that mixes oxygen with carbon dioxide.

I am from the space near the window.

Through transparent, clean glass one can see sadness from the other side of the world.

I am a green fir tree that never changes its color.

With my whole being I am trying not to change.

I am a short prayer that is said after eating.

I hide my feelings in my heart closed tight like a jar for winter.

I am from my grandmother’s prophetic dreams and my mother’s actions.

I am from the heat of the sauna which I take every Saturday, and from the cold aura of people.

I’m from “Wherever the front wheel of the cart goes, there the last wheel will go.”

I am one of those who live like the ummah of Muhammad.

I am from the mouth of the river Asa, from the line of Tole bi.

I am my mother’s bread, the banana that everyone eats with pleasure.

Before my father’s testament is gone, my grandfather’s adviser will be gone.

I am a storehouse of memories, old things, ghosts.

I keep them to revive the past.

To restore the days gone.

Diana Murzygaliyeva (16 y.o., Astana, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I am from thick grasses and Aloe Vera

I am from books and certificates 

(books as life philosophy 

and certificates are the way I have gone so far)

I am from energy, help, humanity and kindness 

Tidying up and cooking thick pancakes at the weekend,  walking tours, picnics and strolls 

 (warm, pleasant, my favourite)

I am from tulips that remind me of my home country – those like Greig’s tulip,

The symbol of nature reserve Aksu-Zhabagly (real paradise)

I am from family adventures 

From Myrza, Oken, Serikzhan and Bota

From the quotation: “There is nothing impossible”. 

I am from prophet Muhammad and the Goddess of the moon Diana

I am from ecohabits, from “I can cope with everything”, “I will have time for everything” and “Wonder is somewhere nearby”

I am from nuclear tests that were carried out near my hometown and influenced me

I am from a Kazakh family

From the dairy product Emil

From my delight while admiring the night sky and the stars together with my mum

I was about eight when I heard that my mum believed in extraterrestrials 

From my dad’s big picture album and the war album where photos embodied my childhood, relatives, hometown anniversaries, those who are no more but who are forever in our hearts. The picture album kept their faces and memories of them.

Gulnur Muratbay (20 y.o. Almaty, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I’m from the bus stop.

I am from the last fallen leaf of the apricot tree,

I’m from the key to the fourteenth apartment,

(always needed and safe)

I’m from the torn tickets at the theater,

I am from the unfamiliar streets of Almaty.

I’m from the baby’s own language,

I am from my mother’s white hair,

I am from my father’s brown autumn coat,

Maybe,

If my religion is love,

then I’m from love

from friendship and trust…

Yes, I believe in God. I am from God.

Then

I am from a drop of Caspian sea that was left on the shore,

I’m from the Olivier salad for the New Year’s table,

delicious and fun.

I am from the songs my mother and father memorized, 

When they were young…

Nursultan Sarbay (18 y.o., Almaty, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I am from a stick.

From “Mukaltin” and “Maxi tea”.

I’m from the brick stairs

Warm, cold and safe.

I’m from a tall tree that fell after being struck by lightning.

I’m from the leftover coin in the piggy bank and drinking tea at one in the morning.

I’m from Ruslan and Asem.

I’m from family dinner and work early in the morning.

From “step with your right foot” and “pray before going to sleep.”

I’m from Islam and going to the mosque.

I am from Salkynkol and Chistopol.

Fried potatoes, pasta.

From the merry wedding of my uncle, my sister’s one-year-old daughter,

Album on the nightstand.

From love and memory.

Ruslan Ivanov (16 y.o. Almaty, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I’m from frost on the glass,

From milk and ice cream in a waffle.

I am from the walls, in lime glaze, in darkness,

Which froze inside, on the tiles.

I am from the leaves of a fleshy living tree,

In a ceramic shell, warmed by yellow light.

I’m from movies faded after time with black and white.

And from the candles in the sideboard, in the evenings without light.

I’m from a piece of synthetic winterizer,

In a hole of a jacket,

I’m from an old sled and rust metal.

And a snow figure.

I am from conversations that are heard at night,

Disputes at dinner, with a philosophical flavor,

I’m from “Sit down, your time is up”

And “Start to talk with meaning.”

I’m made of matter with a mixture of faith,

From disbelief not completed,

I am from a measure blooming at the end of the world,

Cities born in the void of the world.

I’m from a tincture, mixed with tea leaves

On the windowsill in a jar.

I am from a handful of sugar weighed 

In the palm of my hand, and dry bread loaves.

I’m from an orphanage on the outskirts,

Where my father and I used to sneak in.

I’m from a hole in the fence,

Behind it, there is dusty grass, a spacious lawn.

I’m from a holey ball, crumpled

Which we played on that lawn.

I am from a cartridge with sloped sides,

Which we dissembled with the boys.

I am from rough linoleum in our house

We used to draw on it.

We remained on it as a blurry scene,

And created a picture in our memory.

Aleksandra Edel (13 y.o., Karaganda, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I am from stone

From cigarettes: Marlboro and Lark

I am from a brick house 

Battered, old as it has always been, in an old neighborhood

I am from catkins of crack willow and weeping willow 

That did not lower their eyes.

I am from movies, warmth.

From Mashka and Chris.

From music and quarrels

From “Do your homework” and  ‘tidy up” 

I am from “You can’t be like them, you believe in God”,

I am from the city of Qaraghandy, my home steppes 

Apples, plums, grape clusters,

From my mother’s plastered leg (she broke it trying to catch the train), a hematoma on my sister’s body and a metal pipe that was used to murder her

From boxes, caskets, dusty closets and, of course, picture albums 

From notepads, lines of old poems that store large amounts of memory.

Fatima Maisar (17 y.o., Almaty. Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I am from orange juice

From the bedside table from Ikea and a plush toy.

I am from beige bricks with the initials of our family

Hard, made from stone, so familiar.

I am from the cactus named Nicole,

a prickly little thing.

I am from a turkey on New Year’s Eve and a good sense of humor

From Mukhtar and Ilgiza.

I am from watching TV series and videos together with my cats.

From “Put on your hat” and “Grades don’t matter”.

I am Islam, bedtime prayers

I am from Almaty, Tashkent, Shymkent

Cola, apples

And a dog presented by Elbasy (President Nazarbayev)

A house in Shymkent

An apartment in Tashkent 

Tasty beshbarmak.

Regina Rynkovskaya (16 y.o., Almaty, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I came from the smell of autumn wind,

From a cup of tea with fresh cut mint,

From a cozy house with many cats,

With love, that one could always get.

I came from dreams and stars, and tears,

I came from bravery and fears,

I came from where we all come from,

And yet we all have different homes.

Some come from orange peels and leaves,

Some come from rainy days.

One at a time we all will leave

And meet, we’ll meet again.

Rassul Kassymbekov (15 y.o., Astana, Kazakhstan)

I’m from…

I am from the capital of my country.

From “SPUTNIK” and “kumis”

I am from Astana, from Akmola

Not from the yurt, not from the steppe –

I am from the capital’s city center. 

I’m from Berkut under the sun

blue sky on the background. 

I am from Kazakhstan, Central Asia.

I’m from a country with two new years

Nauryz kozhe, Bauyrsak and kurt.

From grandpas and grandmas

Everyone here has read the “Way of Abai”

I’m from the seven shelpeks on Fridays,

From a Kazakh family.

I’m from Islam, atheism and Christianity,

Where everyone lives happily together.

I’m from Astana, not from Nur-Sultan.

Where hundreds of nations and peoples gather.

Where everyone eats beshbarmak with kumis.

From the people where everyone knows the great Abai,

The great poet, recognized by the whole world.

Where everyone knows Akhmet Baitursynov,

Teacher of the nation.

He’s beloved by all Kazakhs,

We call him “Atam”.

He is our unique figure.

Our memory of him is bright. 

We keep all the memories,

Because we can’t forget them.

It’s very important – the Motherland, the heroes of the Nation.

Our language, culture and traditions.

After all, who else needs them

Other than us?

I  am from

By Aram Klyn

I am from Minneapolis

The brisk gray city

It’s tall glass towers enclosed by trees

My small house on a quiet street

I am from Columbus

The dull beige capital of Ohio

Speckled with red around the university

The brown brick road of my street

The trees, hanging low

Their bark like sandpaper

I am from Evanston

The leafy suburb just outside Chicago

The classmates who hated me

The classmates who protected me

The bus ride every morning

Part of me is still there

Part of me feels like I never left

I am from Duluth

My grandmothers house, nestled on a hill

The smell of baking wafting through the halls

The happy sounds of my family echoing from downstairs

My dogs scratching at the door

I am from a long line of trans kids

Who don’t feel right in their bodies

Who don’t get what they need

Who don’t get understood

Who don’t get the simple courtesy of being called the right thing

Who’s government passes laws that hurt them

Who get left behind

I am from that hill

Where I sat, alone, for hours

The grass scratching my back

The wind on my face

The yellow sun juxtaposed against the blue sky

The whole of the city laid out before me

I am from those hours spent reading books

And playing video games

And writing stories

Escaping, if just for a moment, to another world

Worlds where things feel possible

Stories with a hero

I am from the chasm of space

Infinite depths of dust

I’m a speck on a speck on a speck

In the vast void

I am from mankind

A flawed race of infinite variety

My heart

My brain

My body

One flawed machine

I am me

A Minnesotan

An Ohioan

A Chicagoan

A trans girl

An introvert

A nerd

A speck

A human

I am from 

By Serafina Skye Bennett 

I am from the rhubarb patch
from hamantaschen and soapy baths 

I am from popcorn ceilings, ventilators, household feelings And when they got too big for me.
I am from the maple tree
whose branches protected me 

from the world
I am from old children’s books and hand-me-downs from my baba betty and dear aunt sue
who are no longer around
I am from hurtful words and twittling birds
from believing respect is something I don’t deserve and from learning that not everyone is honest.
I am from being held so close
i couldn’t breathe. 

I am from tashlich by the sea
from corny jokes and learning about my family’s history and the pain that came along.
I am from challah dough
from latkes and applesauce
from pouring maple syrup in the snow
from alter cokers and foolish schmoes
I am from tough love. 

I am from being torn away from your family
from being called a dirty jew, from the sting of deaths finality.
I am from mass genocide
and being a survivor.
I am from hiding in the dark with the sound of guns and marching outside
and from working through it so that your child can have a better life.
I am from learning how to survive
I am from my pig hat, and the potent, musty smell it gave when I forgot to wash it. I am from whispering willows and soft fuzzy caterpillars
I am from not knowing how to sit 

still
I am from the moments… Good and bad
I am from love