I am from mechanical pencils,
from Kirkland and Morton salt,
I am from the cream-colored walls.
(There’s only one room with grey walls.)
I am from the huge cherry tree,
the Fuchsia, whose bright colors still make me dizzy every time I look at them.
I’m from the Fall time get-togethers,
from Suresh and Vidya.
I’m from the doctors and the engineers,
from Hurry Up! and You are Amazing!
I’m from the idols of our Krishna, our god,
with pretty but itchy Indian dresses,
which were all picked by my grandmother.
I am from the Hayward Hospital,
warm coffee and festive Pulihora.
from the foot my uncle broke into 15 pieces while sky-diving in Australia,
the heart-attack my grandfather survived.
Under my mother’s desk is a black photo album,
countless pictures of my family’s history, ripped and blurred.
I am from those moments,
sweet and sour,
warm and cold,
spreading the love and cheer
all around the world.
This was inspired by the original poem, "Where I'm From", by George Ella Lyon.