"I Am From"

I am from pots and pans

From softball and mixed tapes

I am from the red brick house

With the smell of cologne

I am from the roses

The pecan trees whose long gone limbs I remember as if they were my own

I'm from bad vision and big feet

From Grandma and Granddaddy

I'm from athletes and greediness and from smart mouths

I'm from "You ain't grown" and "You always running around"

And Step In the Name of Love

I'm from family cookouts every month

I'm from Batesburg and Gates and Williamson

Pork chops and ribs

From never meeting my grandad

Who my dad is a spitting image of

The wall full of family photos

In every family member's heart