by Emily Kent
inspired by Mari Aviles’ mini-lesson
I’m from open oceans and sunburns,
from the smell of sunscreen as it smears across your skin,
from the struggles against the hands that tried to reapply,
and the subtle pride of a resulting heat and reddening when they failed.
I’m from tides of orange and blue,
from standing in soaking bleachers, retreating from the lightning, and returning in triumph,
from “we’ll all stick together”,
and the generations that walked amongst those noble gothic walls and lovely vine clad halls.
I’m from a phoenix who demonstrates strength, burning to the ground and rising from the ashes,
from a lion who imparts wisdom, exemplifying a strict code of integrity, truth, and responsibility,
from a pit bull who personifies love, taking time to trust and blossoming when it arrives,
and the ties that bind us, forever, across space and time.
I’m from an endless bound of expectations and opinions,
from the external definitions that caged my spirit, my desires, my truth for too long,
from the scars I accumulate as I pry my way free of them,
and the infinite possibilities for all I can become…
For all I will become.