Where I’m from- Ngô Bảo Châu

I am from books, from Hyperion Books and mysteries
I am from the one bedroom apartment
(the apartment as small as a doll house and
as cozy as you are sitting next to the fireplace)
I am from the orchids
That flutters and flies when the wind blows

I am from the hard workers and overachievers
From the Le’s and Tran’s
I am from the debates and neatness
From stories to morals
The lesson learned from when I was small

I am from watching my mom pray
Then praying myself to Buddha
The one that guides me to become a better person

I am from Vietnam
I am from the spring rolls and noodles
I am from the death of my great-grandmother
And the tears that came along

I am from Manhattan
Where my memories were made
With my family and friends
The love that bring us together
The happiness and laughter
The sadness and pain
That we go through together
Memories
I am from the memories

I am from my family who made me a better person
With the lessons my parents taught me
The respect I have for myself and others
I am from my friends who gave me my personality
The weird one, the nerd
But the friends that made me proud of who I am
I am from my family and friends