Where
      I'm From

for the Southwest Florida
      Community Foundation

I’m from sandhill cranes calling
               in the morning, coyotes
running through the streets at dusk.

I’m from a place with no dress code,
        where sandals are more likely than a neck tie,
from buttery stone crabs, smoked mullet,
             and juicy mangoes.

I’m from the little chapel by the sea
            that married me and the talented surgeons
                       at Fawcett Memorial Hospital
who saved my husband’s life –
             from God’s mercy and grace embraced.

I’m from an emerging group of passionate young families
              who all have a story of how they came here,

whose kids play in the street
              and run into each other’s homes
                                 as if they were their own.

                         I am from Mom’s mouth-exploding
               mac-n-cheese, fishing in salty water with grandpa.
I am from a pink-nosed dog
                        and a community of artists on Pine Island pond,
                   full-moon kayaking in Matlacha,
          
a life with music and new possibilities.

I’m from a home displaced,
            salt-filled lungs and the bottom rung,
                        where songs were sung
            to escape poverty's oppressive thumb.
I am from bridge jumping, rock skipping,
                  music blaring and packed cars thumping.

          I am from la joya del Caribe,
where ocean, palm trees, and magical stories
          are told through the beat of salsa y son.
                    I am from this place, that place, no place,

             from everywhere that speaks, que susurra,
    whispering of warmth and light.

          I am from a home for children to grieve
and a street where baseball players roam,
          where old men and young ones
                    hope a tourist will share a buck.

I’m from the longing for better stories.

I’m from being encouraged 
to think outside the box
        in Naples Senior Center, caring
for seniors suffering with dementia.

I am from canals and palm trees, yet memories
         of Long Island thirty-seven years ago –
                  oaks, maples, and snow.

I am from tasty banyan trees
         and cypress sap burning in the night,
               from muddy waters and mouth-watering BBQ,
from snow-bird and hurricane seasons,
          from “y’all,” and “where’s it going?”
                     I am from the world wars of the U.S. Army

      and lasting friendships of my veteran’s life.

I am from Shirley Watson’s fifth-grade class
      at Villas Elementary, dusty dirt roads and sandlots
lined with shaky trailers on cement blocks,

     
from Dad rotating the squeaky antenna
             to watch The Monkees and Star Trek reruns

       and Mom finding ten ways to make
                        spaghetti stretch a living wage.

             I am a Gulf Coast buccaneer washed up
     on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River,
in Centennial Park, a gator with dreams
     to find the sea and star stuff that I am.

                 
Where else would I want to be?
            It’s in paradise where you’ll find me.

I am from a diverse tapestry,
        Boston, New York, Southern charm
                and Midwest values, from the here
         and there of Southwest, Florida,
going and coming back,
         from the land of countless sunset wishes,

                 where the fabric of our community
         continues to weave more collaboratively.

          I am from resiliency and recovery,
     from a time of change and new beginnings,
acceptance and love,
          where one small act of kindness

                    goes a long way.

I’m from the sun on my face—
     this generous place—
from the longing to listen,
          to hope and embrace collaboratory.

SPONSORED BY

This Community Poem was written by those who joined in celebration on October 24, 2018 for the opening of Collaboratory, a space created by the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, in downtown Fort Myers.

This space is a gift to the community.

To learn more about Collaboratory please visit www.FloridaCollaboratory.com

Special thanks to poem sponsor and Foundation partner Entech Inc.

Traveling Stanzas community arts projects bring poetry to people’s everyday lives through innovative methods and digital platforms. Click here to learn more about the Traveling Stanzas project.