I Am From
by: Davianna John
I am from a mixed family
With crazy Dominicans and “Giddy up” Texans
I am from Perfection
Where my worn-out linen sheets are folded perfectly with no creases
Grades always expected to be an “A”
Perfectly cleaned floors with no shoe tracks
Perfect white dog, no hair to be shed
I am from tragic accidents
Where cancer has spread
When 9-1-1 has arrived at the scene
The “We have some bad news” talks
I am from Sunday gatherings
With a bowl of sancocho so enormous you could swim in it
Loud Latina music filling my neighborhood
Freshly lit cigars at a table full of old men playing with dominos
Outback at the fireplace making s’mores with my closest family
I am from a beaten-down red cottage house
Where the ice cream truck comes at 12 pm every Saturday
Where you know to love every family like your own
To “Pack your boxes we’re moving again”
Now I am from an off-white house
At least 20 acres between anyone else’s house
With grumpy old neighbors who have a dog that never stops barking
