I Am From

I am from a world of mischief
from accidental backyard fires
and hidden tree fortresses which lay above the world of reality
where the sap made my fingers sticky and the
woods soaked my shirt with the smell of pine.

I am from excavated hidden treasures,
the honeysuckles beyond the backyard and the berries deep in
the bushes which always trickled my mouth with a bittersweet
surprise. I revealed the cattails’ plush interior and the free spirit
of daffodils being tossed about my head by the power of a
gentle spring breeze.

I am from accident-prone adventures:
I have felt the piercing stab of a pond’s intensely frigid waters as
sheets of ice break below;
I have been pounded by the weight of a vending machine as my
curiosity suffocated my senses.

I am from a unique family,
the values and cultures of many worlds integrated within one
household.
Expressive Norwegian art flared with the rustic artifacts of
Peruvian ruins,
the collaboration which keeps a home consistent and secure
through the wear and tear of multiple moves.

I am from the memories.
I am from the hikes to spiritual waterfalls and eye-opening
vacations to the places and lives of my ancestors.
I make all these memories; therefore, I come from me.

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Caroline Greene, Age 17
LSU Lab School
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Teacher: Connie McDonald