Where I Am From-Taylor H.

I am from acrylic paints,
from brushes and various colors,
I am from the music being poured out by a jazz band
(colorful,uplifting,it moves one like the wind)
I am from the redwood
the palm tree
whose long lives I recall
as if their lives summed up my own.

I'm from bicycles and subject textbooks,
from Blue October and Benny Goodman.
I'm from modest musicians
and ones in search of their pursuit of happiness,
from "you perform the way you rehearse" and "pain is weakness leaving your body."
I'm from Lord I am not worthy to receive you
but only say the word and I shall be healed,
and other biblical texts.

I'm from Candace and Alyssa's tree,
Tiramisu and pasta
from the courage my grandfather put forth when
he bore three men, carrying them to safety in WWII,
the toe my grandmother lost due to a cancerous infection.

In my closet lays a plastic bin
overflowing with cherished photos of family get-togethers,
a memory of forgetting what is important,
to instill in me a mental image.
I am from these moments--
a minor note within a musical composition--
independent yet connected.