standing on shaky ground

 i am from shaky ground

from uncertain thoughts 

and constant questions.

i am from the muddy river downtown

and windblown cliffs

four thousand miles away -

i’m from the windy city

and tiny towns

where people never walk.

i am from shaky ground.

from a million different places.

i am from sitting in the playground dirt

and taking my safety scissors to pajamas

i am from scribbles in margins

and potions in the backyard

i am from shaky ground.

from everyone at once.

i am from my mother’s face

my father’s hair

and my father’s mother’s eyes.

i am from many

and myself.

i am from my own soul

if only i knew what it was.