"I Am From" by Bob Purvis

I am from Ritts Park, alone, on a summer day, eating a P&J from my Hopalong Cassidy lunch box, listening to the summer birds.

 I am from the smells of the steel industry and the sounds of trains in the distance, bringing new materials in and carrying away the future of my town.

 I am from the appearance of a happy little boy who was never not terrified of the future.

I am a 5-year old boy who took the hand of his younger sister and ran away from home, always asking an adult to walk us across the street, until Dad caught us as we reached the other side of town.

 I am a small boy who grew to be a middle-aged man before he stopped running, looked around, looked inside, and realized there was nothing more to be afraid of.

 I no longer feel where I am from, but I see with confidence where I am going.