Where I am From

I am from Swatch watch.
From Jordache and the Electric Company.

I am from the red corner house on a
busy hill with cars bottoming out.
(The smell of metal scraping blacktop carried across the porch on a summer breeze).

I am from the maple tree blanketing our yard
and suffering on a rocky beach sitting under tall trees 
with competing boom boxes and coolers full of meat and beer.

I'm from sit down as a family dinners
and a lack of communication.

From Elsa and Luis.
I'm from the protection of older brothers
and the generosity of extended family.

From my house, my rules and don't talk back.
I'm from our father who arte in heaven every night
​and CCD every Sunday.

I'm from New York by way of my family's journey out of Cuba.
From cafe con leche, frijoles, and flan

From the ischemic stroke that made me a survivor, a warrior
on 8 August, 2020.

I'm ​Later this month I will be trained as a mindfulness facilitator for the Love Your Brain foundation.  This piece was written as part of the pre-work through a Skill in Action practice from Michelle Cassandra Johnson's book, Skill in Action. The template was based on George Ella Lyon’s poem "Where I'm From".
The Animation was created using Doodly