I am from breezy summer days
laughing by the pool
with friends buzzing...

From frostbitten, snowy days
sledding in a park, the hill touching the sky
and building snowmen with carrot noses

I am from reading paperbacks to hardcovers,
worn from the summer sun and use
within the shade of Black Walnut tree...

From CDs of classic Disney music
scratched by my younger sibling
and yet playable by a miracle

I am from arts and crafts--painting and beading--
decorating and designing the world
with color, inspiration, and creativity...

From homemade sweets--cookies and cakes--
smelling sweet days of baking with mom
and wishing to be little and small

I am from setting goals and dreams,
the kind that make me work for it
with roadblocks standing tall in my path...

From becoming a band geek, in rain or shine,
on the days of Marching Band week
and giggling at secret jokes

I am from my mom, wrapping me in her arms
and telling me, “It’s okay to cry and sometimes,
it is okay to let your emotions spill over...”

From my dad trying to motivate me
saying, “Do what you have to do,
then do what you want to do...”

I am from traveling and exploring
new places within the world
with my brother, mother, and father...

But as I grow up and move on
I will still be from those breezy summer days
and those frostbitten days...

From the arts and crafts--beading and painting--
decorating and designing the world
with color, inspiration, and creativity...

Form the traveling and exploring
new places within the world
with my mother, brother, and father...

From the days that will always make me wish
I was little, listening to my classic Disney music
while reading  worn out books and eating those gooey cookies.