Where I'm From

I am from slides and swings
From D’onofrio and Inca Kola
I am from the cross over every bed
Damaged, worn, carved, crafted from wood
And dipped in holy water.

I am from bugambilias
White, purple or pink
But always carry thorns
The ones I did not know of
Until I picked at one.

I am from homemade
Guanabana ice-cream on sweltering days
from short, small stature
Alicia and Regina
and the Merino family tree
I am from fast thinkers,
Jokesters and the prank players.

I am from you choose your own path and enjoy it while it last
From tracing the sacred symbol across my face and chest
Prayers I was told to keep in my heart
But I have lost
Lost and barely keep in my mind.

From Aji and rice
(No matter on what)
From the hearts my uncle used to break
And the kisses he would steal
The joy in my grandmother’s blind
But still, deep green eyes.

I am from the bronze frames on the wooden cabinet
Albums leaking abundance of memories,
And stolen photographs to greedily keep
Under the pillow,
Under the bed,
To salve the distance
Remember the lost faces
Cut, picked from the tree.

I am from Lima, Peru
But my heart,
It belongs to other places too,
I am from where I wish to be
the place that’s absence
Causes my melancholy.

I am from everywhere I have lived
every country I was ever referring to
when I whined, whimpered, whispered,
I want to go home.

And although at moments I feel
I am not there now
I know where I come from
From hugs and kisses and
Te amaré por siempre
I am from the arms of my family
That wrap around me
Like the sun does the day

It always comes back to
where my heart
Wishes to be.
I know in those short moments
those magnificent moments of remembrance
I can‘t help but smile
But get that warm feeling in my heart
that I know
Where
I am from.