I am from a city of poverty and wealth, the rich and poor.

From a city full of successes and failures, those who made it, and those who didn’t.

A city filled with creativity and despair.

I am from a neighborhood where you had to double check your locks at night,

where every car had rust.

Where everyone knew about the one pot hole in the road that was the cause of flat tires and broken rims.

I am from a family of loving parents and friends,

a family where a christmas present had meaning and thought put into it.

Where home cooked meals were as rare as going out to eat.

I am from that city, I am from the neighborhood, I am from that family, and together, we made it.