“Where I Come From” is a Darling series that pays homage to the cities, towns and countries that we call home. Although we are not defined by where we come from, these places are a defining part of our stories.
I come from light
Shadows cast long on the carpet
I come from homemade meals and chocolate chip cookies
A messy kitchen table, the proof of life fully lived
There is beauty and brokenness hung on the walls of my home
I come from summertime apricots and lemonade stands
Trying to understand
Who I was becoming
Out of these suburban streets, into the unknown
Curious about the distant borders and boundaries
A corner house, I named it home
Framed in a white picket fence, an open gate
Inviting friends over to invent other worlds
Of far, far away, once upon a time found in secret hideouts
Pen pals and potential, I send myself around the globe in envelopes
I come from a country of pioneers and pilgrims
Founded on a fierce desire for freedom,
Let me not forget I, too, come from a distant shore
My ancestors stomachs empty upon arrival, hungry with hope
Builders and dreamers writing a new story
I come from California, a land known for rushes of gold and light
We are still sifting through the dirt
Refining the treasure, striking it rich
Let me not forget I, too, come from this earth
I am clay breathed with the same substance of life.
My words form worlds now, a wisdom in knowing I come from light
It extends itself generously on the floorboards of every house and page
Still hungry with hope, I come from the horizon of the ocean
Expectant to someday arrive
To that place, that home from which we all come
What are your favorite parts of where you come from? What stands out as the most memorable aspect of your home?
Image via Taylor Butters
