A while back, my sister posted Where I’m from, which was inspired by Where I’m from. I wrote one then, too, but, as with anything this personal, it’s hard to put it out there for the whole world to see. But, someone who means a great deal to me said that it was good, so I’ll share it with you, my loyal reader.

Just about every line is a story, and several of the lines are several stories. Some of you know those stories already.

Where I’m From

Where I’m From

I am from the EAR&H and the Tea Hotel. I am from Mara, Tsavo, the Mount Kenya Safari Club, and the slopes of Mount Longonot.
I’m from long rides through the night on the KRR,
and waking up in Mombasa, the most wonderful place on earth,
where there was sand and jellyfish and sunburn and coconuts, and never enough days to enjoy it.

I am from John Denver, Roger Whittaker, Doctor Hook, and the SPEBSQSA. From Peter and the Wolf, Pinky and Perky, and hours and hours of Aunt B telling me a story. I am from VOK and Them Mushrooms and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

I’m from the Word Of Life camp, and Indian Springs camp,
and the bizarre snake camp where we learned to identify and kill cottonmouths.

I am from KPS
and Howard Middle School (where I was somebody!),
and Nairobi Academy and FHS and how many other schools where I was always the strange kid from somewhere else.

I’m from St. Andrews, where all the kids were from somewhere else,
and I was no stranger than anyone else.
I’m from counting tipples, counting laps, and counting stars and stripes.
I am from le Danse Macabre and Finlandia and Where is Love?
I’m from Lord Baden Powell and Jackrabbit and Ma and Pa Lavers.

I’m from Grandmere with her immaculate home,
Grandpere, who knew how many ear leaves he had picked up,
Grandma who always won at Scrabble, and couldn’t turn off the ice cream machine,
Grandad, who I never knew, but who taught me that people are funnier than anybody.
And from Mom and Dad, who taught me to love books,
and kites
and gave me a passion to see the whole world,
and gave me a good start in that direction.

I am from Middle Earth, and Discworld,
Derry and Green Town,
from Douglas Spaulding, Noddy, Flick Ohmsford, and Oliver Twist.
I’m from Kenneth Grahame, Richard Scarry, Enid Blyton and Charles Dickens.

I’m from home being the place we just left,
and never being quite sure what to say when asked,
so, where are you from?