I Am From

I am from the ancestral emerald isles, from those who fought and loved their land with a passion few today understand,
I am from slave owners in the east,
I am from farmers, who lived through the Depression,
I am from travelers, who want to see what lies over the next hill, or mountain, or body of water,
I am from gangsters who ran whiskey and guns with Al Capone, and thought Bonnie was a sweet girl who lived for a time just over the bridge,

I am from Mormons who abused those they said they loved and felt that their faith put them above all others,
I am from Methodists, who weren't particularly religious,
I am from abuse, violated by the man who should have been my fiercest protector, and a mother who says she never knew,
I am from a family that would rather hurt each other than love, scattered to the wind, never to apologize or make amends,

I am from drug abuse and promiscuity, anything to escape what is hidden in the recesses of my mind,
I am from depression and anxiety, isolation and mistrust, uncertainty and fear,
I am from a lost childhood, memories locked away in the unconscious, leaving gaping holes throughout my past,
I am from pain, reaching every inch of my body, never ending,

I am from warm potato soup, fried chicken and potato salad, stroganoff and warm bread,
I am from comfort foods and Friday dinners at moms,
I am from friends who became family, to fill in some of the missing pieces,

I am from good times and bad, love and hate, laughter and grief,
I am from a past rich in darkness and light, conviction and strength, pain and suffering,
I am from lifetimes of triumphs and failures,
I am from many things and many people,
I am from my past, but only I control where I am going.