"I Am From Home"

I Am from Home

I am from a red-clay road rolling with dust after each passing car

from a long bed of irises - purple, white, yellow, and maroon

from two cars out front one with 4 doors, one with a bed, two humps, and a tailgate

from a front porch with a dachshund named Noodles lying on the step, a screen door that slams, and a panoramic view of the Ouachita Mountains.

I am from tassel-topped corn stalks, thorny blackberry vines, and staked tomato plants bringing the flavors of summer

from a formica kitchen table surrounded by six chairs and a stool

from little glass Pepsi bottles, black angus beef, and homemade ice cream hand-cranked by strong brothers

from sit-down dinners, lingering while the food settles, and sisters washing dishes by hand.

I am from Curtis Ray - “Handy as a pocket on a shirt”

from Gladys Adelle -“Busy hands are happy hands”

from trotline catfish dangling off Grandpa’s stringer

from quilts and afghans labors of love from Grandma’s worn hands.

I am from Ben Franklin’s, Piggly Wiggly, and a fifteen-cent Tastee Freeze cone with a curlicue on top

from a picture window, an attic fan, an antenna on the roof for a black-and-white television

from football games on Friday nights, cartoons on Saturday mornings, and church twice on Sundays

from pot luck suppers, “Count Your Many Blessings,” pass the offering plate, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

I am from a place that is real

from a time that has past

from bonds that endure

I am from home.