Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2022 finalist King Hey Chan. King finished 9th grade this past school year and wrote a poem called “Where I am from.” King remarked that the element he likes the best about his poem is his “description and imagery.” Enjoy!
Where I am from
WHERE I AM FROM
By King Hey Chan
I am from toys,
from silk, and cotton handkerchiefs.
I am from rain dripping from my face
(wet, cold,
tasting like salt).
I am from Areca Palms and
Pandan Trees
whose sweet smell I remember
would fill my house.
I am from Roti Canai and caring grandparents,
from Bright Light Elementary (my old school)
and Ipoh (my hometown).
I am from celebrations with fireworks
and rice cakes.
I’m from Selangor River,
Nasi Lemak, fried rice, and strong coffee,
from the memory my great-grandmother lost
to COVID-19.
The mask my family had to wear to keep our lives
could not keep hers.
Hiding inside my white cabinet
I spill out old pictures from a box.
Lost and found faces float
back into my conscious mind.
I am from those moments
before I was born and the salvaged
leaves of my family tree.
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