I’m from my mom

I am from the woman who showed me the first ray of blinding light in this word, the person who held me when I was young and made me who I am today
I am from the chlorinated aroma of large mushroom figures who mischievously sloshed buckets of water on my tiny bald head
I am from the pulpy seeds of a gargantuan pumpkin, as it squished through the skin of my cold thin fingers
I am from the half acre in upstate New York, where skydivers lept through the day like multicolored shooting stars
I am from the small museum of knick knacks and cluttered clacking contraptions, correlating to the rush of the Hudson Valley
I am from The Upbringing. Flowing from my first memories of life to the people who allowed it to happen

I am from the streets of the Queen city, where my four person family would thrive in a run down apartment barely large enough for us
I am from the long hikes every sunday, going past the school, museum, and library. Winding all the way to Church
I am from the incomparable savory taste of Sopa de Cola, just as hot as the blistering heat of the tarmac of my roof. Come to think of it...
I am from that one time I stepped in tarmac… at least that’s what my mom called it?
I am from the simple signed papers that not only split one house into two, but knocked four person family down to three people
I am from The Upbringing, from times of happiness to eras of struggle

I am from the Railroad Town, which went hand in hand to my absolute obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine
I am from sneaking to my friends house to watch spongebob, as my mother would forbid the viewing of any such show in her household
I am from the small room when everybody learned their numbers and letters, with the exception of one child who already knew what was being taught. He was sent to a corner
I am from the lack of dopamine receptors and a smaller frontal lobe in my brain, which caused me to draw in my notebooks instead of paying attention
I am from the man who made my mom the happiest woman in the world all over again, making the fractured family functional and whole again
I am from The Upbringing, From the ADHD that ruined my grades to the people who made us whole again

I am from the town where Tiger fans pierce your ears with the sound of cheering
I am from the conferences that turned on my ability to love, where I could be with the best people on earth from dusk to dawn
I am from the excess of cortisol in my brain, a cloud that swam through my veins, lived in my brain, and caused more damage than any other disease
I am from the revolution in my mind, one that turned general classes to AP and Honors and pain into motivation
I am from the stage built so that the sound emanated would always be hushed in the distance… seriously though, who built our auditorium backwards
I am from The Upbringing. Everything in my life, good or bad, complete or fractured, Regardless of mental health…

The Upbringing is what makes me… me.
But most importantly
I’m from my mom