No pink bow and floofy dress
“Over here over here”
Trying to get me to smile for a decent picture
None from my first Christmas
None capturing everyone’s excitement
The day I was brought home from the hospital
Because the first couple years of my time in this world could be told
From a series of court documents
A yellow folder on a desk
A name in the system
I could fit my entire life in a blue plastic bag
A lot of where I’m from will always be a mystery to me
I’d replay the story
I was told over and over
Tried to fit the pieces together
Like my own personal movie
Sometimes when I had a lot on my mind
It was almost soothing
Yet there’s still an important person missing
From my family tree
An empty line on my birth certificate where his name should be
Cuz meth messed up her memory
She can’t even remember the face that helped to create me
I remember as a kid, feeling so angry
Wondering why getting high
Was more important to her than
Stepping up and being there for her family
Wondering how she could take my 2-week old sister in her arms
Play chicken with the cars as she ran through the street
Wondering why she couldn’t quit for me
But, I realize now that she’s just
A messy human being
That this is her fighting her demons
And I pray that I’ll see the day she reigns victorious
I remember meeting her for the first time
I went home terrified
That one day I’ll look in the mirror and see her face looking back at me
People tell me
“No, you get to decide who you’re gonna be”
But there’s still this little voice in my head
That tells me I won’t be able to outrun my destiny
But luckily
My name belongs to another tree
A tree grown in the late nights of a high school classroom
While she’s grading
Grown on the couldesack of our street as we watch the scarlet sky
Say goodbye to sun
This is where I’m from
I’m from early morning breakfasts
With a side of cartoons
Dark nights playing ding-dong-ditch
While the grown-ups deal cards
I’m from the Friday nights spent on the bleachers under stadium lights
This tree is pretty amazing
Always there to support me and keep me up on my feet
The reason why this year, I’ll be graduating
I’ve been told I got lucky, and I truly believe that I did
Because this tree created my new destiny
--Kaylee V., 9th-12th Grade