I Am...

I am from the backroads and the country breeze.

I am from a land of refuge for Sauna from the Spanish.

I am from the bamboo hats, red clothing, and beautiful chanting.

I am from Myra and Rajesh,

A warrior and a lion.

Believer of spreading kindness and speaking the mind.

I am a “eat with your hands, Kana,” but also “use your southern manners.”

I am from incense and hindu temples.

The smell of curry lingering throughout the house.

I am from waking up every morning at 6 a.m. for Bible study.

Mormonism and clothes-to-the-knees.

I am from Gary and Connie. I am from a home of love but we make mistakes.

I am from no coffee and destined to be a wife.

In a house with emotions waiting to overflow. I am from the horizon of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the smell of chicken trucks.

A house with a fridge full of Mtn Dew and the smell of cornbread cooking in the oven.

The tunes of the Temptations and Jackson 5.

I am rolling in the grass, wearing shoes until they break, and blasting music with the windows down. I am here, there, and everywhere simultaneously.