Where I'm From #30

By Lisa Rizzo

Inspired by George Ella Lyon

I am from the back seats of rusty old cars,

from Crisco and Jell-O.

I am from a lawn stretching to farm fields behind

(bee-laden and humid, smelling of wind and black loam)

I am from the promise of wild rose and lilac

offering sweetness after snow-laden winter.

I’m from watching family home movies.

Our bodies flickered across the screen,

growing and changing in each reel.

And I am from work, always work -

housework and yardwork and laundry

and dishes - doing what must be done.

From Melba Lorene and William Frank.

I’m from their will to survive

and my longing for something I couldn’t name,

sneaking a read under the covers at night.

From Quit your bellyaching and Frogs wish they had wings,

from Do something useful and Because you’re the oldest.

I’m from the preacher saying All Rise

to lead us in Methodist hymns, from watching the clock,

pews hard under my thighs.

I’m from Texas to Colorado to Illinois,

from my mother’s southern drawl

and my father orphaned of family,

weekly cornbread and pinto beans,

and my mother’s famous red cake and lasagna.

From my parents’ mahogany dressers

traveling with us on Mayflower moving vans,

to each new home that - Please Lord - might be the one.

Dressers that still watch over me

as words spool from my pen.

Where to find Lisa:

Website: https://lisarizzowriter.com/

Where to find Alyson:

Website: https://www.alysonshelton.com

Substack: https://whereimfrom.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byalysonshelton/