where i'm from.

I am from a world too large,
A town too small,
An ambition too big,
And a to-do list too tall.
From a past too dark,
And a future too bright,
And for where I am now,
A present that's just right.

I started from a house that didn't know quite where to start,
Where what we didn't have in money we made up for in heart,
Where absent-minded fathers loved teacher moms,
Where everybody was happy and everyone got along.
I am from this place full of happiness and love,
Where you had a shoulder to lean on when push came to shove,
Where we played all day and we played all night,
Where everything always just seemed right.

I am from make-believe and storytime and the land of pretend,
Where I am in my prime with which the World must contend.
Where I am the superhero, dashing to save the day,
Where you'll be my best friend, if only to play,
Where someone else's playset is my castle in the sky,
Where if you believe, surely you can fly,
Where nothing is impossible and impossible is nothing,
Where you can be anything as long as you're something.

But I am also from lies and secrets and the bad kind of pretend,
Which leaves us sleepless and tangles us in our webs.
Where the truth doesn't come as easy as it should,
And the bad news comes around more often than the good,
Where parents fight and words sting deep,
Where the only emotion you can feel is the feeling of defeat.
Where machines bleep and boop with their shiny outfits of chrome,
And a girl with her teddy bear stands all alone.

I am from change as swift as the wind
As the things in my life end as soon as they begin
As love dissolves and is replaced with a hole
When being broken feels like all we know.
But I am also from learning how to mend
Where sometimes all you need is just a good friend
Where hearts can be broken, but all you need is glue,
Repiece it back together, and you're as good as new.

I am from a puzzle, all the pieces laid out here,
Figure out where to put them and the picture will be clear,
A photo of where love is real, and choice is yours,
Where sadness may walk but happiness soars,
Where British hats are donned and tulips bloom,
Where laughter echoes throughout every room,
Where Rockstars abound and Monsters roam,
Where the place I am now is the place I call home.

I am from these images that flash through my head,
Of the laughter, the tears, the happiness, the dread.
Of when we were young and when we grew up,
Of that national academic award and that old purple sippy cup,
Of "back-in-the-days" and "remember when..." stories,
Of all our failures and all of our glories,
Of where we are now and where we were then,
And of how all of this things make me who I have been.