2- Mel B. : I am from poem

I am from the womb of a woman who carried me at an old age

I am from the soft arms of my mother 

I am from the opening up socks on Christmas morning

I am from the living room where my sister and i would play on our wii

I am from the words of my mother “si no lo usas se lo doy a alguien que si”

I am from the hot summer days in yuba city and the 8 hour pool days 

I am from the home where Luis Miguel songs were blasted early Sunday mornings 

I am from the elementary school where everyone looked like me

I am from the culture where I saw no one on tv that looks like me

I am from the place in my childhood brain that would scream whenever I would see a brown Barbie or a Bratz doll looking at me from the toy aisle 

I am from the late night Walmart runs to get beans or cream for tomorrow's lunch

I am from the two different homes of parents that fell out of love with each other

But I am also the girl who has so much darkness in her life

I am from the dark hole that I can't seem to get out of

I am from the deep depressive state that I always feel whenever I’m overwhelmed 

I am from the orange tree I see in my dreams and I am from the tree I can't seem to get down from no matter how hard I try 

My tears are from the waters that took my brother 

The smile that I have today is from his, a smile that will never be seen again

The gleams in my eyes shine like the steel he would tag “STEP” on

I am from the place in my heart that tells me to move on

I am from the place that doesn't understand what is going on with me

But I am also from the strong words of my therapist. “You can't ever move on you have to learn to go on” 

I am from the part in my brain that thinks of my ED from time to time

I am from the place in my heart that grows with my grief

I am from the Hispanic household that my niece was raised in

I am from her beautiful innocent soul and feisty personality 

I am from the place I spend the most time, I am from the cemetery

I am from the cocoon that butterflies emerge from when it’s their time 

I am from the flowers that bumble bees suck the pollen from during the spring

I am from the grass that we use to connect with our mother earth

And I am from the reflection I see of myself in my brothers headstone

I am from the house where arguing is completely normal the “no eres buena” or the “no vas hacer nada bueno” are words of encouragement 

I am from the culture that loves to brings down women

I am from the world that has so much darkness

I am from the parents who came here to give my siblings and I a better life 

But I am also from the guilt that doesn't believe that I have a good life

I am from the beautiful sandy beaches of Ecuador and the tropical rainforests of Guatemala 

I am from the very few brave indigenous people who survived the Spanish 

I am from the countries where the church “hermanas” and “hermanos” are from 

I am from El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil and Italy

I am from the culture of beautiful mestizo people, beautiful noses, hair, and facial features

I am from the heart that has overcome all of my struggles 

I am from the soul that learns to go on

I am a girl who has suffered but i am from a place where we grow and learn everyday 

I am from a happy place 

And I am from a place in my heart that is still learning how to heal.

Word Count 735