I am from curiosity, letting go of hands

Tumbling down stairs

No one around me, to say “Hey watch out”

A lone giggle

I am from quite lonely days

Pondering over a house of ants

Even the smallest parts of life

I look at with a magnifying glass

In detail, everything noticed, everything perfect

 

I am from a heart of wet cement

Many appear but soon seem to disappear

Each leaving a purposeful mark

Some can be forgotten

Some can be forgiven

Some will always remain

 

I am from illusions

The things that seem to happen but never do

And things that happen that we never see

Blind from reality, trying to look through a foggy window

Each water droplet, resembling unanswered questions

 

I am from guidance, from the few that truly inspire

A reassurance that I am not alone

Those who shined a flashlight in a dark alley

Those who gave a hand in moments of doubt

 

I am from parents that are like cats and dogs

Both have a different way of living

Neither of them understand each other

Unfriendly wake up calls of roaring disagreements

A love that is contradicting

 

I am from, “ It’s right there in you”

Input from an eloquent, nurturing women whose words are effortless

I am from Ironman, a name that is more than a job description

The definition of my father, Lokhandwala*

I am from a factory of iron

 

I am from the discovery of Vasco de Gama

A subcontinent full of hidden treasures

Where there is a trail mix of religion

Colorful silk and rich gold jewelry that decks a girl

From her head to her toe

Where the devastation of poverty and struggle exists

Where one of the seven wonders of the world stands

I am from this distinct smell of fresh figs

 

I am from the sight of a last breathe

The pleasure that life gives me of having enough

Wanting nothing more from life

But, the true reason why I am here

This is where I am from

*(Lokhandwala literally meaning Iron Man in Hindi)