I Am From....

I Am From

        by Amber McAfee

I am from the stacks

From ink and page

I am from the lays of dust along well worn spines of books that are dear friends

Dark, gray, and fascinating

I am the Lily of the Valley

The deadly white, bell-shaped flower

I’m from drunken family fights and so many freckles

From Dorthy and Warren

I’m from the hard workers and smarty pants

From talk more and read less

I’m from the Dogma, with the breaking of our daily bread

I’m from the Emerald Isle and Caledonia

Black coffee and meat n’ potatoes

From the abandoned sister and brother at the orphanage at the end of WWI

The sobriety my great-grandfather left behind on the blood-stained fields in WWII

Around the house are scattered knickknacks, photos, and memories of life

I am from the shadows of those things, the unwanted child who rose

I am the one who became so much more than an after thought.