by Errol Carter

I am from…

The reflection of the citytop on the tall skyscrapers in downtown San Francisco and  

the actors behind my camera acting for a movie that I am directing.

The warm and delicious chicken-pot-pie my grandmother makes for me and my sister as we watch our favorite children’s TV show, Tom and Jerry and

the loud splashes of the public pool on a warm summer day on summer vacation in a North Carolinian town.

The complements of my jazzy long hair after a nice morning with bed head and

the CNN news guy mentioning more events of racism every day as I walk down from my room to get a snack.

I am from…

The air in my face as I go on a bike ride in Calistoga’s magnificent vineyards and hilltops and

          the cold, bumpy, rough tongue of an adorable little canine alarm clock that wakes                                                               me up on a nice Wednesday morning in the center of the beautiful city.

The cold ivory keys as I play a C minor for the applauding audience around me and

the flavorful meatballs and spaghetti my mom makes once and a while. 

 The monthly chicken cheese quesadilla my mom orders from my favorite Mexican restaurant 

Papalote 

I am from…

The sand squeezing through my toes as I walk along the beach looking out at the Golden Gate and the cold wet feeling when I walk in the ocean tides.

The cold ice cream after a long baseball game 

and the dirt on my pants after a slide to 3rd. 

I am from…

The movie nights on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday where we either watch old, new, or feel-good films and the couch imprints of where I had sat for 2 hours straight. 

The books I read for 3 hours until 10:00 because it is too interesting to put away 

and the movies my family all falls asleep to.

I am from… 

The poles in my hand as I go down a diamond ski slope and the hurting in my ankle after I fall down.

The Warriors games that never get old and the endless T-shirt inventory they have in their premium store.

The retro devices I like to use and the ones I try to fix.

The amazing tater tots from the restaurant Outer Orbit after I played one of their many pinball machines.

This is where I’m from