A Little Bit of Me

Well, what seemed like an innocent little exercise sure turned out to be so much more meaningful, and emotional, than what we had anticipated. For me, the exercise took off the lid of my outer self. It sounds like everyone had the same experience, and I relish, like others have mentioned, that we are at a place of community where we can take the risk together. Vulnerability, honesty, trust, respect, sharing--and really, really amazing and bracingly personal stories. Good times and bad are wrapped up in our histories and identities, and both of these have a huge emotional component that I don't think we often acknowledge, though all of it informs our outlook, our worldview, how we perceive and process our lives. Thank you, everyone, for sharing.

I'm from southeast grant court--
bicycles, popsicles, and peanut butter cups
Those hard lemon drop candies in the dish at grandma's,
her fold-out bed, the Kentucky Fried Chicken down the street.
I'm from a world shaken, relationships broken, family undone,
then redone, then redone, then redone again.
I'm from cheshire court and holgate, scappoose and downtown,
like bordeaux and two buck chuck mixed in the same glass
Night and day, but all white no black
I'm from kasey kasem and the brady bunch,
I'm from too much time and not enough.
From one of a few, to none of many.
I'm from a small world that's getting bigger.
I'm from young love to broken dreams,
from time wasted, marooned,
I'm from mending, imagining a different life, from re-awakenings,
I'm a first, and I'm an only.
And I'm from so much more...