Where I’m From
after George Ella Lyon


I am from FM radio
from the backseat of a BMW and the piano bench
I am from bookshelves by the fridge that fall
from BTS' greatest hits, and cassette tapes from 1966,
(broken many times but dad could fix them every time)
I am from the lilacs
the Wych elm seeds
that never fail to surprise me
that taste like chlorophyll and fleetingness

I am from the sour taxi air
from tight bun updos and djembe
I am from lukewarm dumplings, Zhangjiangmian, and Swiss rolls
from mainland's 80s TV series and My Little Pony

I am from the you're too sensitives and why are you crying agains
from the don't be prouds and humble brags
I am from my mother's eyes
a chasm that is the night, a night that is the chasm
and the I never feel your loves!
I am from the big-feelings-feelers and the overthinkers
from always letting everyone down
I am from a childhood that was never there in the first place

I am from yeye's wild pigeons, which he fed nonstop in his dementia
from stray cats and caged dogs
I am from wooden floors filled with toys and fragmented vases
I am from moments when I hoped
everything would get better before too late