I am from the bench

That sits on the beach

A place where you shouldn’t bother trying to figure out our speech

I am from the banyan tree

that swings in the breeze

A place where you can rest and put your mind at ease

I am from the red dirt

that stains your skin and

as you inhale your body within

I am from a can of spam

Which everyone thinks is gross

But where I am from it’s the meat that everyone likes the most.

I am from hammer pants

And acid wash jeans

The slide slick haircut

That made me look like a queen

I am from little league tee ball games

And pictures of me in the field picking my nose

From water gun fights

Me with the super soaker and my dad with the hose

I am from immigrants

Who sought a better life

working in sugar plantations

while fighting through strife.

I am from the love of my family

Who gave me a childhood

The ones who still loved me when I smiled or was in a bad mood

I am from the foot prints that I made in the sand

From the endless boogie boarding days that

I wish I could turn back the hands

This is who I am…