after George Ella Lyon
I am from playing cards
From pots and pans to forks and knives
I am from the garden,
Full of mud and grass
(It tastes like rain.)
From the big plum tree
To the milkweed by the porch
From the roots
So deep in the earth,
We forget they’re even there
I am from no shoes in the house,
And a radio tune with music playing loud,
Humming songs I know by the first note
I am from the dinner table
With tile floors
And plants climbing the walls
From Jess and Josh,
Countless late nights
Laughing at jokes I didn’t understand,
And watching shows I didn’t know the name of
I am from karma,
Which will always come back to get you
A pair of sharp teeth
That are sure to leave a scar