by Grade 7 RBMS AVID Students (2018/19)
I am from Red Bank, a small town.
I am from shoes that walk at my pace.
I am from freshly baked bagels:
warm and crunchy on the outside,
inside soft as a cloud.
I am from late night shower performances.
I am from a room
with six drawers
stuffed with clothes.
I am from the gallop of the horse.
I am from the sound of little girls playing
in the streets.
I am from warm hugs I pretend not to want.
From the small tree in my backyard that gives little shade.
I am from screaming, rukus, and laughter.
From hot chocolate,
and my dad’s special Sunday night pasta sauce.
From snow and from summer.
I am from takis and the smell of chili pepper and lime.
From dogs barking when someone comes to my door.
I am from mistakes I have learned from.
I am from the sketches I drew in my room when I felt down.
I am from laughing every day till my stomach hurts.
I am from the oversized sweatshirts my dad would leave for me
when he went back and forth from New Jersey to Chicago.
I am from people running around.
I am from ripped jeans
that my feet get stuck in when I put them on.
I am from the white puffs of cotton I thought lingered in the sky.
I am from the one blanket
that makes me go to sleep in an instant.
I am from my mom cooking dinner
and me wondering when it will be ready.
I am from muddy brown paw prints my cat gave to my shirt
before he ran away.
From the turf I taste to the wind in my face.
I am from the sharp blade of the ice skate.
I am from papers I would crumple
because I thought the words written upon them weren’t good enough.
I am from a family that stands by me.
I am from two kittens that like to sit on my homework.
I am from conversations I would have with my sister.
From falling on wet, muddy grass.
I am from soccer.
From the feel of the ball,
and the sound of bang hitting the crossbar,
and the sound of poom hitting the ball.
I am from people clapping and cheering.
I am from mashed potatoes.
I am from the creaking floorboards in the dining room.
From the field I would lay on in the park
watching couples stroll by.
I am from the loud thusk of your casket.
I am from a bright, shining star.
I am from pretending
I was a world star chef.
I am from the gush of thunderstorms.
I am from the simmering rainbows
that put a path across the sky.
From the loud waves of the ocean
to the beautiful gloss of the moon.
I am from the smell of the fresh air
when I get out of the water.
I am from the sensation
of cool, wet paint,
stroking my tiny fingerprints through it.
I am from voices that tell me to always try my best.
I am from my imagination. From curiosity.
I am from this world, I think.
I am from many places,
some I know
while others wait to be known.
Red Bank, New Jersey
Bridge Ink 