I Come From

I come from my mother’s womb
I come from the helping hands of doctors
I come from fight, a war
I come from being forced to eat grandma’s cooking
I come from the taste of my brother’s fist
I come from dropping my sister when she was a baby
I come from Satan’s teeth
I come from loving my mom’s pancakes
I come from my mentor, Kanye West
I come from hating Indian food to learning to love it
I come from running toward home so I won’t get in trouble
I come from wishing to be Spiderman
I come from fighting with Adrian over who was better –
N*SYNC or Backstreetboys
I come from sleep-overs with my cousins
I come from watching the Bulls game with my dad
I come from my favorite movie The Lion King
I come from my church
I come from my scars

by Kenneth Doma, East Prairie School, grade 8
(submitted by the Skokie Public Library Teen Poetry Contest for 2004)