Where I am From: 2020 Edition

Happy New Year to all my readers.

This is my yearly version of the “Where I’m From” poem prompt.  You can find my original prompt here and the versions from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.  If anyone else wants to try their hand at the poem prompt, I’d love to read your results, so feel free to leave a comment.

Where I’m From

I am from a wood-toned TV tray, from a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and plastic storage bins.

I am from the two-bedroom, cave-like, poorly-lit, half-basement, apartment with the bookcase wall and the box-filled office/crafting room.

I am from the deep pink Christmas cactus, the philodendron in the pot with bubbling paint.

I am from steak on Thanksgiving and unruly hair, from Catherine Cameron and Jane Elizabeth and Kenneth Hadyn.

I am from the collecting of postcards and the making of family photo calendars.

From watch where you’re going and don’t read after bed time.

I am from stained glass windows, sacred groves, thuribles, solitary altars, and wooden crosses.  From simple wooden buildings, rich fabrics, and everyone welcome at the table.  From silent nights contemplating the moon, solitary practice, and the universal divine.

I’m from Monroeville and Scotland, Scotcheroos and pumpkin rolls.

From the night it didn’t occur to me to get off the crib mattress on the floor, the crying I did wishing my mother would come, and the fondness my mother always shows when she tells the story.

I am from Shutterfly sites, plastic bins of honeymoon keepsakes, shelves full of books passed down through the family, files upon files on hard drives, and collections on shelves in closets.

From the memories that they invoke, the feelings they bring, and the people they bring to mind.

From stories, pictures, postcards, trinkets, and shared experiences.