i am from smiles
from laughter and jokes
i am from the yellow flowers in my backyard
to the swing my grandfather put up all those years ago
its memory still fresh in my head, regardless of the storm that brought it down
i am from the bike rides down the hill and the sledding on the golf course
from the wind blowing my hair back to the snow freezing my fingers numb
i am from helping my mother make desserts and cheering on sports with my dad
from not being able to call my brother names to just doing it behind my mother’s back
fighting with my family during game night to laughing and watching a movie with them on the sofa
i am from celebrating holidays with my family and making sweets with them for special occasions
from going to temple with them to taking pictures to send to relatives
i am from the orphanage in India and the family that raised me and called me their own
living my life in a state of feeling abandoned to my family loving me and making me feel at home
from celebrating my birthday on the same day as my grandfather, to my grandmother telling me stories
bickering with my brother for mindless things to begging him to give me a ride
the old desktop computer that held all the memories
i am from looking through the photos and smiling to calling my family in so we can all laugh together
from watching videos from when i was younger to making fun of the photos we took way back
i am from finding my way in this world to understanding the strength i have within
i am from the best of times and the worst of times
i am from the moments that have shaped me to be who i am today
~ Shriya Sekar
I’m a 11th grader in Cincinnati , Ohio. I write poems in my free time as a way of expressing myself. I feel that through the written word I can have people understand me better than verbally; and my poems shed light on who I am. I also play tennis. I have learned karate for 7 years and am currently working to get my black belt.