Where I'm From

I am from the streets of Korea, where everyone is busy and traffic jams are normal

I am from the roof of my grandparents’ house

Painted all green, wide, the bright red color of the dried chili peppers.

I am from tall climbable trees,

Brown, insect-full and the smell of the rotten barks

I am from the bowls of traditional Korean seaweed soups,

Served on every birthdays and cooked from my mom and grandma with their expert cooking skills

I am from the bird decorations our family buys every time,

Cranes, chickens, owls, parrots and ostriches

Which are found flying all over my house

I am from my dad’s sayings about

“Life is unfair,” and

“Being taller than me doesn’t make you boss,”

I am a pure Korean from Seoul,

The spicy cooked fish meals that make you sweat and

The warm chicken soup that keeps you warmed even in winter times

I am from the suburbs of Anyang, Korea

Where my mom grew up as a child

The seashore of Incheon

Where my dad hanged out with his friends and caught fishes to be cooked at his house

I am from seven different places,

The Skytower of New Zealand,

The Sombreros from Mexico

But deep in my heart,

Only one nation.

I am from those moments,

My life is like a budding tree

Vulnerable at first

But stronger as I grow

With the experiences becoming the roots of the tree