Where I'm From (Poem)

Where I'm From

I am from delicious red pozole

From cooking under pressure

And a big jello cake with the colors of the Mexican flag

I am from spooky days of the dead

From spicy homemade tacos that leave your fingers red and

Enormous pupusas that leave you wanting more

I'm from burning summers that keep you in the water

From claustrophobic road trips with sightings right next to you

From sweet ice cream, that scare my brother when I bite it

From translating words from another language

"They want an appointment!"

From "She would like this"

And "He would like that"

I'm from fluffy flan that everybody steals a bite from

From ceviche with limes and floating shrimp

From tres leches with fruit in the middle, too

From photography that my father could never have enough of

From painting that persuades my brother to paint with me

From drawings that my mother never stops encouraging

From sweet, milky horchata, to colorful piñatas

From boys playing soccer on one end of the yard

I am from exciting quinceañeras,

Celebrating a girl's 15th year with tiara and cake

From fiestas with friends and bright dresses

That flow perfectly when dancing to the rythym

I am from my mother being impatient, frustrated with bills

Frustrated with schools giving papers in spanish

From helping my dad keep his blood pressure low

"You can't have this, too much salt!"

I am from helping my brother learn how to read

To helping with chores that no one will clean

I'm from zooming in the hallways, hoping to not be late

I'm from tripping on my face, falling off my top bunk bed

I'm from being rushed to the hospital

"You're a strong cookie!" They say

But am I, really?