where im from

cleaning my room today [for the first time since i moved home, mind you] i found a writing assignment i wrote for a grad class. we were asked to write everyday at the beginning class in our journals. one day the assignment was to create an "im from" poem, a sort of non-rhyming, free thought expression of who you are and how you came to be that way. when asked to "publish" a piece of writing as the final project for the class, this immediately came to mind. approx 35 drafts later, here it is. it kind of goes along with my last  post. and its MUCH better in person - there are pictures and creative calligraphy and even a homemade bookcover - but the words really mean alot. i really do think this is a very succinct representation of who i am, in so many words. for reasons that will become clear at the close, it makes me sentimental. and a little sad. everything in here has made an impact on my life, some more so than others. and since then, things have changed. hence, the sad part. and yes, my heart breaks to think of it. but thats a topic for another day. in retrospect, i was given a topic and asked to go with it. these were the things i thought of. my subconscious thought they were the meaningful ones. and at this point, i couldnt agree more.

where im from
[for my parents. . . thank you for where im from. i hope youre proud of where im going.]


im from new jersey, where you may find big hair, but youll also find big hearts. im from all one and a half square miles of newfield. im from 209 dalton street, the house my parents built together. im from the home that i have physically left but that my heart never will. im from guy luciano, of the "famous" luciano brothers (and maybe even lucky!). im from mary ann asselta, who i still cant believe has facebook! im from katie mary. youll always be the "little". im from noisy hugs from memom and unnecessary money from poppop. im from a huge mess of all girls...enough said! im from big italian dinners with family, neighbors, friends and anyone else around. im from the delicious leftovers we eat for a week! im from "potatoes in the oven" and whatever little gran felt like throwing in there. im from wednesday morning breakfast at big grans...you better come hungry! im from biscotti, zuccharini, pizzelle and the thousands of homemade christmas cookies. im from lasagna, cavatelli, pasta fagioli and sopressata, yum! im from many generations of amazing meatballs, but dont try to find a recipe! im from homemade gravy (not sauce. sauce has no meat!) duh...everyone knows that. im from edgarton memorial school, where miss grochowsky made you never want to go. im from "ceramics" class, where my mom got [and still uses] those awful decorations we made. yuck! im from saint rose of lima churchs christmas eve childrens mass with the barbaglis, browns, boniellos, gallos, trommellos, and wescotts (even hope!). none of us are children anymore, but maybe soon well bring our own. im from the five am shift at the newfield luncheonette, serving 95cent coffee that came with a 5dollar dip. im from meeting my first "real" boyfriend working there...for his dad. im from the tiny newfield library and the wonderful women who bought more books when i read them all. im from bike rides all over town, the "mystery" of rena ober, and the weekly newsletter. im from hearing the chief call and wipeout in my sleep after four years of varsity cheerleading. march, march forever! im from whoever had the brilliant (?) idea to go camping after the junior prom. im from choreographing a mr. buena pageant that got my best guys to be hot for the holidays. im from what it means to be a token and finding the best friends ill ever have. im from the sixth floor of tyson hall and everyone who made our freshman year at west chester university absolutely "unreal". youre all in the book. im from room618, the triple, where i found out that it is possible for me to live with roomates. im from 307south new street, where those roomates turned into sisters. im from a love of reading and writing that has only grown stronger at wcu. im from recitation hall, learning the fundamentals of the best job ever! im from darigan and jagielo, livoy and diggins, flanigan and wilkey: my best textbooks. im from harris schools seventh graders, the reason i get out of bed every single day. its all for you. [[im from 221south walnut street, our first home together. im from always doing the laundry if you promise to always wash the dishes. "youre so much better at it." im from starting out looking for fun and ending up finding the person to spend a life with. im from looking forward to our wedding, our home, our children, our life.]] im from countless summer days and nights spent in sea isle city... the land of the free and the home of the sunkissed. im from growing older, but not necessarily growing up. not yet. im from always finding time in a cluttered life to get home for everything from birthdays to funerals, broken hearts to dance recitals. always. im from a family that will always love and support me... no matter what i do. im from a life that anyone would be lucky to have. i feel lucky. im from new jersey, where the big hearts outweigh the big hair. give me a chance.