I Am From.. a magnificent poem written by Andrea
I AM FROM
By Andrea Cohane
I Am From the ticking of the grandfather clock,
Big apples
And music sounding out from ivory keys
Black coffee, a nervous spoon against his cup
Ringing out as
Shaking hands would admonish me… “Watch out!”
A decade late, baby sister,
I Am From forever young
From lessons learned not to listen,
Close the door, there’s no admission.
I Am From the endless schemes,
The sidewalk chalk, and constant mischief
I Am From thick yellow sunflowers bursting off canvas,
When I was but merely a seed
From Paradise Drive, though you could beg to differ
Where the red wine flowed over Pesto dinners
I Am From Vienna fingers, Roman summers and the stony brook lane
And from friendships that have lasted a lifetime
I Am From show tunes and bright disco lights
“Happy Talk,” though sometimes sad
From roller skates under warm ice cream nights
Italian immigrant pride
I Am From the chipping gray deck where we ate and we stared
Onto the Weeping Willow Tree