2 - Janessa H: I Am From

I am From

I am from nessa, nessebear, and ness

I am from Sacramento, a city where going outside was all I knew. 

I am from hearing “be in before the streetlights turn on” and “have fun”

I am from all day bike rides to who knows where,

From walking to sprouts and getting seaweed

I am from playing the whole Justin Bieber playlist,

From pouring my heart out to every lyric

I am from my nana and papa taking me on long trips,

From them raising me like I was their own

I am from hearing “you can do anything you put your mind to”

I am from a household that society deems not normal,

I am from a father who chose himself over his daughter,

From needing the reassurance from family I hold close

From long car rides to cheer competitions

I am from the sport I love most and the family I created

I am from accepting change and making the best out of it,

From never quite being like the rest

I am from my own imagination and creations,

From becoming the woman I always planned to be