Where am I from
Evelyn (Poetry and Visual Arts Editor)
Where am I from
When I turned ten I met my family.
Children swimming in lakes like Finding Nemo
living in limbo
lost in the waters of disease.
Hunted by the scent of rubbing alcohol and hospital soap
Tormented by the shadows of the one forced to mingle.
A home of human pillows
With the Island of Misfit Toys
All of us banished
The only reason is our pain stained scars.
With the ones that felt more normal
Then the “Normals.”
Who never needed the radio to manufacture a chart topper
The lyrics and
Scream at top of lungs singing
Comes as naturally as
The half that never grew
The holes that formed from times erosion
And the mutation from a misdiagnosis.
We varnish our clothes with
Powdered pastels and Trout Lake
Instead of the insults smeared on our faces
In the countless county factories that produce them.
As we sit in supposed to be silent rooms
Laughs break through the bug spray infested air
And the sunlight streaks the brunette rooms.
When our mothers and fathers for the week
Try to wrangle us in bunks
To rest our heads,
Save our energy.
So this is how I grew up.
Snapping photos
Lining up with my sisters and brothers
Capturing consuming memories for funless days
When the words and thoughts cut
Deeper than a scalpel.