I am from a country of lakes,
in a home beside a highway, surrounded by aisles of grain,
worried about the present, not grasping the future

I am from the sandbox,
building cities and digging lakes in the grainy sand beside our home,
with a brother who stomps and destroys my creations

I am from breakfasts of pancakes and syrup before school,
rushing out the door before mom could redress me,
afraid I’d miss my bus, wishing I could stay home

I am from the theatre,
with excitement I sing on the black-tiled stage,
the cheer of the crowd and the flushing of my face fill me with emotion
and I know, when I see my family’s faces, it was all worth while

I am from study halls with my girlfriend,
a tutor, who helps with odd homework I scrape together,
and from passing my first math test of the semester with her support

I am from accepted to my first college,
a pursuit of writing perhaps, and I absorb the emotion of joy as I commit,
where hard work and perseverance triumph over procrastination

I am from my past,
the present is a gift now,
with my experiences, I reach for the future.