From snagging bats up at grandmas
From smooth white chalk chalk chalk used for punishment
I’m from digging amateur holes out of earth to fill with fish and cats
I am from players who’ve never paused

I am from boots to keep away pecking chickens
I am from warm brown milk trailing in endless pipes along a barn ceiling
I am from pool halls, milk parlors and pigs
From heart winning but stomach drilling cows
I’m from dogs that frolic beside the tractor

I’m from no gloves and all swing, a fastballer
From helmets over mullets
From a wannabe pro basketball player
I am from steep jumps that ooze mud when tires rumble over

I’m from these things, possessions or memories
I am from a core where it’s kept
From the storage in our hearts