I am from shopping bags,
Filled with new clothes
Lining the floor of my closet.
From the orange and red
Earthy tones, that fill my living room.
I am from Prospect Park,
The smell of fresh earth and wanderlust
The sound of children laughing
and playing in the distance.
From curry chicken
Stew peas and rice, ackee and saltfish
The dutch pot klanging
everytime the pot is being stirred.
I am from Kolette and Buddy,
A strong, independent woman who never takes no for an answer
And a scruffy, white little dog who’s always happy.
From yelling and shouting,
Who’s right and who’s wrong.
I am from “Live here for a while”
From “God has his plan for you. Trust and believe in him.”
I am from Portland, Jamaica, from its crystal clear blue oceans,
From Dakar, Senegal, the capital city,
Where the sun is always hot and shining.
I am from my mom getting locked out on the night of her 16th birthday,
To her partying days in college
To her graduating nursing school.
In my bookshelf, sit old photo albums,
Which hold all of my childhood memories and
The pictures that come with them.
I am from all of these things-
I am the clay and they are the potter-
Molding and shaping me into who I am
And I will grow up to be.
