I am…

I am from coke floats

And football games

I am from homemade ice cream

And wedding punch church socials

I am from old houses

And red brick parsonages.

I am from outlet store Chic jeans

And pink leg warmers.

I am from grape Kool-Aid

And red play dough.

I am from designs scribbled in a note pad

And anxious entries from stage left.

I am from tea parties

And ancient tea ceremonies in silk kimonos.

I am from Pizza Hut Friday nights

And katsudon with raw egg over sticky rice.

I am from ocean tides

And late night talks on hazy evenings.

I am from UNC Tarheel tailgating

And March Madness.

I am from Southern manners

And social graces.

I am from hillbilly cabins

And pull yourself up by your boot straps.

(Even if your shoes were too tight)

I am from Nancy Drew mysteries

And the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL.

I am from books for comfort

And You Are My I Love You…

I am from Bible drills

And Psalmist poetry.

I am from raucous laughter over bawdy jokes

In a cigarette haze.

I am from long plane rides

And longer car trips.

I am from rushed trips to the ER

And long stays with sick children

I am from difficult pregnancies

Wrought with fear.

I am from C-Sections and VBACs

And first latches in the NICU.

I am from library cards

And sticky grape jelly fingers

I am from soccer games

And princess costumes.

I am from Hot Wheels racers

And T-ball hats

I am from grass stained knees

And blue swings pumped by tiny legs.

I am from chlorine splashes

And golden hair that smells like sunshine.

I am from two hand touches

And blue ribbon wins.

I am from sleepless nights

And bright glaring days.

I am from soft onesies with spit up stains

And a little girl’s dress that hangs in an empty closet.

I am from screaming fights

And clinging so tight I might break.

I am from brick walls built brick by brick

Only to be chipped away by love.

I am from unbearable grief

And uncontainable happiness.

I am from magnolia and peace lilies

And funeral parlors and gravestones.

I am from Cameron, Abigail, Cohen, and Kathleen…

~Kelly Sechrist