I come from early morning marathons of my favorite cartoons with my dad
Where we ate Lucky Charms and laid comfortably in each other’s presence, laughing at the screen
I’m from walking home from the bus stop, coming home to sweet scent of maple syrup, pancakes, and a warm embrace waiting for me to at the door
I come from being the only child among the relationship of my mother and father, while I had an older half-sister and brother, who adored me no less because of the blood that ran through our veins
I come from a cold Wednesday in late February when my mom and dad tumbled down taking me with them thus changing the way I saw love
Where I then had to call my grandma to pick us up while my dad rampaged out of our home
Where I could hear the bangs of his fists on the front door, pleading for my mom to open the door and talk to him
Where she never did
I come from having to wake up much earlier than the other kids at school, just to make there in time from where I lived then
I am from constantly moving house to house never getting too attached because I knew it would never last long
Where I only saw my dad on the weekends and even then I didn’t want because all he did was ask for my mom when I was the one with him and not her
I come from finding out my dad got remarried in complete secrecy and then figuring out that I was going to be an older sister
Where I kept to myself and only played with my cousins in the dewy grass, running out of breath as we made our way back home to eat cold popsicles that turned out tongues bright shades of the rainbow
From using gigantic, empty boxes and piling comforters to create a secret hideout
From having to mature quicker than my peers due to my situation at home
Where my grandma would welcome me home with the warmest smile and comforting food that left a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach with each bite I took
Where no matter how hard it would be, I always had family to hold me up and tell me that they care
Despite it being a fairly small family compared to my friends who had relatives they did not know of
Where I am grateful for what I had, have, and will obtain
Where I have my struggles and fall outs with the ones I care for
Yet I still know that I have somewhere to call home
Where I’m received with open arms and the buzz of the fan always on in the living room
Where my mom and new step-father watch soccer and scream at the top of their lungs when their favored team scores
Where I sit in bed with a bowl of cereal every night watching videos of my team, second family
And just enjoy where I am, where I’m from, and where I’m going
Because all of the places I’ve been through have resulted in the person sitting in the computer lab today