Where I'm From

Draft 1. An identity exercise.


I am from cups of hot Milo
From Mervyn's turtlenecks and Chinese School homework
I am from a four-bedroom, one-story home of six people
expressive, talkative, with voices that interrupt
and hands that tell stories

I am from the red hibiscus of Malaysia
and the pink rosebush that always grows
too big in the front lawn

I'm from Sabbath ice cream
and from giving and serving endlessly
from Albert to Alan and the A's in between

I'm from singing out loud and imitating people in stories
from talking in movies to walking into rooms unannounced
from washing dishes at someone's house
to the pride of my parents when adults
praised their children

I'm from the Chinese Seventh-Day Adventists
close knit, conservative, familial
to the non-denominational charismatics
who dance and shout and value passion

I'm from the Chinese in Malaysia
Char keuy teow, laksa, and mangosteen
From the mother with three children--ages 2, 3, and 7--on an international flight
the father of character sketches, morals of stories, and life lessons

From the forgotten photo albums in the hall closet
Grandma's fan in mom's top drawer
Dad's engineering books in the garage

I am from the third child of four of
parents who left their religion
and their home country
The brother who is almost a twin
The older sister I never understood
The younger brother I adore

I am the streak of responsibility and independence
That will never really leave home