Where I'm From Poem by Jacob Riley

I am from DVD cases, Xbox 360 games, and 60-degree Fahrenheit apartments and trailers,
freezing hardwood floors covered by rugs to muffle my tiptoed footsteps.
I am from hour-long lectures about the intricacies of human nature
And the self-righteous judging of others failures
From Sarah and Jacob.
From passionate overthinkers and silver-tongued smart-alecks
From paying attention, being smart, and doing the right thing
And believing none of what I hear and only half of what I see.
I am from questioning God's existence yet following his yearns
I'm from the Palisades and from the Mill of Byrnes,
From light-skinned coffee and Ramen noodle recipes.
I'm from my father's magic trick of making a beer disappear said through slurred words
And a single mother delving into the dark to put food in the cupboard
Nana's moment-snaring smartphone overflows with photos that resonate with the family togetherness on the holidays.
A flashback to childhood innocence and times of play
Those moments you take for granted because you want to be free
But how blindly naive you are to see that you are making memories
I hopelessly choke back the tears
As I share the memories held dear
For I am a machine and these memories have forged my gears