I am from the world
A small town, England, South Africa
From the places I've been and the places I'll go
Plane rides are always special to me

I am from a name that is too long for a short girl
Elisabeth Mary Jefferies McDougall
No one spells it right but I stopped saying so
A slash through the "Z", write in an "S"

I am from hot summers and freezing winters
From falling leaves and the smell of petrichor
Tall trees and backyard swings
A dog that was always just a bit bigger than me

I am from little brothers
Chaos, stress, and mess
I always wanted a sister
It turned out alright, everything perfect as it is
A family that's happy the way it is
Never stop moving

I am from my house
It's always cold , we can wear sweaters
My dad wants to save electricity and the earth
We always recycle and conserve
The marks on the kitchen wall
As we slowly grow taller
Was I really ever that small?

I am from traditions
Figgy pudding burns at Christmas Eve
There's christmas  crackers and Christmas trees
There always waffles in the morning

I am from baking
I make a cake every birthday
Homemade icing , I know the recipe by heart
I am from ice cream with fudge all year round
From hot drinks, mainly tea from England
Knowing how to make it properly, milk never cream
My grandmother' baking, my mother's food
She puts chocolate in stew
It tastes better than I thought

I am from my "stubbornness"
I procrastinate but get it done
My parents stress more than me
I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat meat
My family seems to eat nothing but
At least I can cook even if just a little

I am from horses
Leather boots and the smell of dirt
From sailing and needing a boost at the start
The smell of salt and the feel of the breeze

I am from writing
Winning an award for a piece of poetry
Daydreaming of plots and ideas
Never really being alone, the characters are always there
From reading everything in my house
I even started War and Peace
The overflowing bookshelf in my room

I am from the pictures on my walls
Not posters of pop stars but of old bands
The sketches of places by locals,
and photos I took of those places 
Black and White, Sepia,  or Colour
There's drawing of things from shows and books
Not done by me, photography is my art

I am from 80's movies
Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Flashdance
From teaching myself to waltz  and ballroom dance
To Tchaikovsky's Garland Waltz
I love beauty in simple forms

I am from musicals
Wicked is my favorite , it inspires me
I love the Phantom of the Opera
The soundtrack lives next to my boombox
Rent is so sad and sweet
Chicago is sassy and fun

I am from music
The Beach Boys on my dad's iPod
And from songs of decades a past
The Who, Aerosmith, the Clash
Music my parent say I play too loud

I am from what makes me unique
Not being perfect and not really caring
My old T-shirts and worn out converse
The books I've read, the movies I've seen
The things I've done, the things I've learned

But most of all
I am from me

E.M.