Where I am from
I am from Cowboy Boots, from Stetsons and Tony Lama.
I am from the heat in the desert, and the coyote’s plaintive call at night.
I am from the barrel cactus, the hidden water never seen.
I am from West Texas, where the sun on the sidewalk will blister your feet,
from the land of the Alamo, where everything is bigger than anywhere else.
I am from the land of tall trees made of oil wells, and of tall men made of grit,
from the Houston, and Austin, and yes… of Bowie and Crockett.
I am from a man named Elic who rode 40 miles on horseback to court Celia every Friday after chores, from the Apache, the English, and a Scotsman who was Laird.
I am from a buzzard’s egg hatched on top of a fencepost on a hot August morning,
from the big wind of a blast from man’s greatest folly.
I am from Southern Baptists during the week and vacation bible school in the summer.
I am from the land of “Yes Ma’am”, and “No Ma’am”, because it’s just polite to me.