I Am From by Sheeks Bhattacharjee

I am from an Indian household;

from the curries, the rice, and the chapatis

from the strictness, late nights, and the work

the endless work

and a never-ending desire to have a life beyond

the education and extracurricular stuff

that’d lay the foundation for my future.

I am from isolation

from beds and plushies

substituting for real people and friends.

I am from a nagging sense of sadness and pain

one that wouldn’t go away

every time I wake up.

But, I am also from change.

I am from a shifting kaleidoscope of places

from meeting people all the time

introducing myself over and over again

and learning more about myself with

each

new

interaction.

I am from over-analysis.

Is this the right way?

Am I doing it right?

I don’t know

and I never will.

And that’s alright

because I am going to be okay.

---

“Honestly, I really don't like the style of "I Am From" poems. This started out as something I wrote during orientation week for college, but after a couple of edits, I realized I really just didn't vibe with the way these sorts of poems focus on who you are relative to your past locations. As someone who's moved upwards of 7 times in the past 20 years, I'm not beholden to a specific location. Instead, I'm more attracted to the memories I have and what stories they tell about me. So, this version of an "I Am From" poem never saw the light of day.”

Sheeks (she/they) is a Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student at the Pennsylvania State University and the co-founder of Astral Cognition and Vocivia Magazine. All of their work and publications can be found on her website (thecreativitydumpyard.wordpress.com) and she’s on Twitter and Instagram as @mildlysomewhat.