Where I Come From Poem by Cameron Gallant

I am from dust and barley, earth and fertilizer
I am from the livestock and from the mill
I grew up as water and salt and made it my diet
I am from the Siberian sun and the Tallahassee storm cloud

I came from Mama’s womb and the egg of a chicken
I hatched in the pen and grew so now I can eat from the boars’ trough
I am from the scratches of fabric on raw legs, the whistle of a thresher
For I am from the light-footed husky, but the overworked mule

(Published in Print in 'DeSSerted Island: Poem Collection' - 2014)