I am from the west
the pacific north one here
the wild one there
from dark, dreary rainy days 
and bright cold snowy ones
from fruit orchards and hard times
to wide open spaces 
where the deer and the antelope play

I am from polite and proper
to  “let’s red-neck this thing”
from Rose Festival princesses
to Miss Indian America, Custer’s Last Stand
and the world’s biggest strip mine

I walked to school
every year of my life
rode my trusty old bike
all around town and across the state
and cherished my library card
like it was sacred.

I come from piano lessons,
swim lessons, girl scouts and
Sunday school…
From a stay-at-home mom , a tennis-loving dad
two sisters, a brother
and my sweet Molly dog.

I’m British and Norse and German and Irish
born into the sixties
the time of assassinations and rock bands,
Woodstock and Vietnam
and the first man on the moon.

I sprang from a Rockwellian past
but live in a Web 2.0 world
seeking to do justly,
love mercy and walk humbly
on my way to the Eternal City