I am from my mom’s old 45 records teaching me the words , from Tide & Downey in our washing machine and clothes hung on a line in the backyard with strong wooden clips, and afternoons of Barbie Dolls.
I am from a 4 bedroom colonial on a private lane, back doors left open and no central AC, a high wrap around wall that you could sit on and watch the neighborhood go by every evening.
I am from red maple trees who shed their leaves and blanketed the ground in our front yard , man-made lakes for swimming on hazy summer days and small mountains of black shiny coal visible from grandmother’s backyard, while I picked green and red apples that decorated the grass and rode the see saw into the blue sky.
I am from vacations on the jersey shore and lively church picnics with beer tents , from talking too much and big giving hearts, from Sophie and Helen, from Jean Marie and Damien E and last names that end in -ski.
I am from worry warts and decorations for every season.
From keep it in your knicker sister; UNO! and don’t make me come up there!
I am from baptismal fonts, gifts of the Holy Spirit and First Friday masses, from hats, tights and new dresses on Easter Sunday, saints and beautiful pipe organ recessionals.
I’m from Scranton, Pennsylvania born and raised , Poland and Russia, from doughy sweet French toast or eggs in a hat on Sunday mornings and pierogies and fish sticks on Christmas Eve.
From cleaning our house from top to bottom on a Saturday, the smells of citrus and Clorox turning into perfume and cologne as my parents got dressed up for a date night afterwards, from notebooks filled with book reports, poems and my married name written in 8th grade cursive.
I am from big overflowing photo binders with names on the binding, from a glass table in my mother’s living room that gently houses a nurse’s cap, a green beret and a christening dress that each of us wore. From pictures that sit on every available surface in every corner of my house that I kiss as I dust them every week, from envelopes of too many pictures of too many happy memories to count, many in front of the hydrangea bush that blossomed every June in our front yard.
I am the perfect combination of my past, present and future.
I am the little blonde hair and blue eyed girl who grew up dreaming and who still believes in the power wishing on a star, who still loves big, forgives often, worries & prays daily and hugs tight.
I love this!
Absolutely falling in love with you
PS. Church picnics with beer tents? Awesome
love it love it love it. i read another post like this recently. i think i must do one myself. I love you writing your married name in 8th grade cursive. I totally did that too. And then, a hundred years later when I did get married, I kept my name. funny.
Kir, This is awesome! Just love getting to know where you're from and getting to know you, all the more. You and I are from a few similar places…the Northeast, my aunt's old 45s, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and those First Friday masses not to mention those vacations on the Jersey shore…ahhh…this brought up some memories for me.
Oh I love this so much! UNO!!!!
Love this. I initially was too scared to delve into it but this inspires me to give it a shot!
This was amazing! It sounds like we're "from" many of the same places.
I love this. I'm very intimidated to do this myself, but at the same time I can't wait to give it a shot!
And that… is why I love you, Kir. Your childhood sounded wonderful. I hope I can give the same to my daughter. ps: Our married names in 8th grade cursive writing? Been there, guilty as charged! hahahaha. Awwww, the good ol' days!
I love where you are from, where you are now, and where you are going.
I had to stop by again, I just couldn't keep away! I loved the image of the nurse's cap, beret and christening dresses. Another beautiful post.
There is so much here to love, Kir. Such a beautiful job you did here. I think my favorite was the worry warts and decorations for every season. All the little details you included that make this move across my mind like movie frame after frame.
Beautiful. I could almost see all of this as I read it. So much of your childhood reminds me of my own.
I am from Archibald, PA on my father's side and going to the Jersey Shore on my mom's. I loved getting to read more about you.
I'm learning so much about people from these poems! SO glad you chose this prompt. I think my kids will be from "don't make me come up there" too. Why do they make us get up?
This is beautiful – I'm all teary now! A really lovely take on the prompt.
I love how much this just taught me about your past and well, YOU. Amazing, I just adore this prompt and you knocked it outta the park!
oh you and your words and your open heart. Pure amazing! XO
This was gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.
I like this one.Bea