Where I'm From

 

Where I’m From #49

By Amy Rogers

Inspired by George Ella Lyon

I am from skillet dinners,

from Rice-A-Roni and Chef Boyardee.

I am from just another cinderblock apartment complex where kids fend for themselves. Gray, two-story, with damp carpet from Florida’s mildew.

I am from the backyard grass at the house in Michigan where we lived before it all went wrong.

I’m from fast eaters and arthritics, from Julius and Sophie, Anna and Louis.

I am from the strong chin and surprisingly normal blood pressures.

I am from “Ladies have to suffer to be beautiful,” and “Never let a man know how much you can eat because you’ll never get a husband.”

I’m from eight nights of Hanukkah and wax drips you can never remove. I am from Russia, and more recently revealed, the Middle East.

I’m from smoked fish and beet borscht.

From the time my mother ate the Passover dinner even though it made her sick because it mattered more that she soothed her own mother’s hurt feelings.

I am from my brother’s low-sodium heart-failure diet.

I’m the last one who cares to keep up with all the musty recipes and photos. But when anyone wants to reminisce, it’s me they have to come to.

Where to find Amy:

Website: https://amyrogers.net

Where to find Alyson:

Website: https://www.alysonshelton.com

Substack: https://whereimfrom.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byalysonshelton/