Where I'm From_Manna-Symone Middlebrooks

from manners and smack talk.

I am from the slap in the face

(Swollen, throbbing, it tasted like freedom)

I am from blueberry bushes 

the Cranberry bog 

whose waters disrupted my reflection I remember

as if my own image of me was unsure.

I'm from 5- Flavor Pound Cake and casted broken limbs

From Heffas and Booty Scratchers.

I'm from the get it dones 

 and shoulda-woulda-couldas 

from Fake it! and Own it!

I'm from let the church say……Aaaamen

with a sip of blood wine 

and holy ghost dances or preaching fits reenacted for fun.

I am from Sweet Cheeks and Hot Fudge sundae

From candy, diabetic sweet potato pie and flavorless soul food.

From the buds my grandmother lost 

to the hunger,

the freckles misplaced located on legs.

I dream of the world in a box

chaotic organization,

confused orientation

suspend themselves.

I am from a time--

lost in time--

searching for past, future, and present reality