I am from playgrounds,
from monkey bars and jungle gyms.
I am from peanut butter and jelly
from Wonder Bread
and Peter Pan.
I am from red rock canyons
horny toad lizards
like dragons I remember
in the palm of my hand.

I’m from buckeyes and candy corn

from Spiderman and Happy Meals.
I’m from the class clowns

and the quiet kids,
from wishbones and shooting stars.
I’m from the pinewood derby

with wilderness survival

and Pocket Monsters.

I’m from David and Thelma’s Branch,
mashed potatoes and lemonade.
From the lab I lost

to speeding,
the pike we caught on St. Lawrence.

My life, my memories
a campfire
twirling, churning--
its embers spitting--
into the night.