I am from the right side of the brain
born like Athena from Zeus’s skull
I am from stoichiometry and trigonometry,
from the mitochondria and the pythagorean theorem
I am from the school (born, raised, summers and weekends off)

I am from the farm
from the chickens and dairy,
riding bikes around silos and gardens
I am from hard work and valued labor
from Dennis Dairy and Campbell's Soup
I’m from Papa’s little girl, and Nana’s pride and joy
a square dance caller and the lady dancing who fell in love

I’m from the piano
country families sitting around singing country songs
I’m from a simpler time
a world that never caught up with modern business and technology
From the lung my grandfather lost
to cancer,
Or the education my great-grandmother lost
to feed her family

In my heart is the wind
blowing through the wheat fields
Driving down U.S. 223 onto the dirt road
A 90 degree turn onto Main Street
to a house that’s been in the family for 100 years
I am from those people—
those moments—
given to me like a precious family heirloom
We are not a tree,
but the whole field