i am from strong women
who are not afraid of dirt
or silence
i am from neon purple sea anemones
whose tentacles sway ethereally in the tide pool
and softly embrace the finger of a curious girl
i am from the dust bowl
and the apaches
and the journey west
i am from scorching sidewalks
and mexican paletas
and bare feet cooled in sprinkler runoff
i am from swimming lessons
and tennis lessons
and piano lessons and ballet
i am from the turkey king of oklahoma
and the twist king of california
(no prom queens though)
i am from hee-haw
the bradys, mr. french
and wild kingdom
i am from the fury of the misnamed pacific
the hot santa anas
nights that smell like jasmine and alfalfa
i am from backbends
and banana seats
and clover flower necklaces
i am from afternoon naps
the doves cooing and the gardenia scenting
outside my window
i am from sam and daisy
nikki and patches
and all the lost dogs who found their way to the house on castro lane
i am from teachers
and drill sargents
and photographers and poets
i am from women's lib
and kitchen dancing
and grilled abalone for dinner
i am from skateland
and disneyland
earthquakes and earth shoes
i am from a thousand books
a few broken hearts
summer skin that smells of chlorine and coconut
i am from the tule fog
always there for the girl
who wants to be invisible
i am from mrs. agan
and my fifth grade summer camp counselor
whose name i have forgotten
who saw me
and painted my portrait on a slice of california redwood
{a spontaneous version of where i'm from}
