I am
from “read me grandma!” and grandpa’s deep soothing voice
I am
from memorized bedtime stories, poems, and Rindercella
I am
from “it’s not crick its creeeeek grandpa!” and “that’s a great p-word!”
I am
from “sound it out” and “how do you think it’s spelled?”
I am
from tree identification and watching tadpoles grow
From
“The Birch Island Gazette” and Molly
& The Mice
I am
from sweet sticky peach juice running down my chin, and cool wet washcloths on
hands before turning pages
I am
from icy air conditioning against humidity hot cheeks in a store that smells
like paper and yarn
I am
from summer reading programs, and hot cement pool decks
I am
from post cards and pen pals
From
snail mail and thank you notes
I am
from daydreams and imagined worlds
From
treasure hunts through bookstore basements
I am
from long grey pigtail French braids and purple Pilot V-5 notes tucked between
pages
I am
from badass female protagonists and lady knights
I am
from escaping my own life to see the world through someone else’s eyes
I am
from Tortall and Terrasen
From
Prythian and Ravenclaw tower
I am
from heavy eyelids and refusing to look at the clock
I am
from “just one more chapter” and “I only have a few pages left”
I am
from the steam whistle, always interrupting, and the back of the lecture hall
pretending to take notes
I am
from notes shoved under doors and pinned to bulletin boards
From
“comb E’s”
I am
from sick days drawing on blackboards and transparency coloring pages
I am
from Leo the Late Bloomer and
notecard libraries
I am
from practicing my hand writing and the hunt for the perfect pen
I am
from advanced readers copies and “signed by the author” bookmarks
I am
from embarrassing stories of my own childhood told to me by friends in school
to become teachers
I am
from framed dust jackets
I am
from abysmal math scores and 99th percentile vocabulary
From
“the nines trick” and quiet reading during “timed tests”
I am
from “my child is not a test score” and vacations in when there was no “school
break”
I am
from “planner meetings” and assignment notebooks
From
story problems and “explain your answers”
I am
from “some high school” and “Doctoral or post-graduate degree”
I am
from “failing to meet potential” and rejection letters
I am
from words flowing in ink across pages just to lessen the pressure in my mind
of the why’s and why me’s
I am
from “I’m a fuck up” and “you’re such a stupid girl”
I am
from dropping out…again
I am
from quiet strength and thick walls
From
trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and a life changing diagnosis
I am
from proving them wrong
I am
from “what did you do with my granddaughter?!”
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