I am from a name my birth mother gave that holds an unknown backstory...

from an adoptive family with three older siblings each born from three separate lives—
from a family that grew together to be torn apart by pride and differences.

A place where I stand out because of the way I look, when I want to blend in...

I am from a life where humor masks, concealing traumatic stories—
from where no one understands or takes me seriously.

From years of pounding asphalt, tearing up grass, going through pain to please my parents...

days that blend together in a blur, stuck in a inescapable loop—
from purposeful close calls and nights of muffled sobs.