I am from no place for I have never had one home
Having packed too many suitcases and saying goodbye to just as many friends

I am from cheesy Italian pizza in Melbourne to the smoke of shisha in Arabia
From raw fish and coconuts in Fiji to Aunty's famous Kiwi pavlova

I am from the aroma of coffee being breathed in my face as a child
And from losing my breath chasing dad as he drove off to work

I am from long, quiet chats with mother by the ocean
To ferocious one-way conversations as she screamed from the sidelines

I am from a family choir whose desire for perfection spiralled me into years of silence
And the learning the guitar to compensate so I wouldn't feel like an outsider

I am from laughter and I am from mischief
From throwing the sister's cat out a two-story window to emulating the Mask of Zoro with steak knives in the kitchen

I am from hours of swimming laps and hours sprinting on the track
I am from the dewy, green grass of a rugby field upon whom I have many times laid writing in agony

My body has eleven scars from the surgeon's scalpel
And I am a survivor of divine heart surgery as I processed shattered dreams

I am now in pursuit of change everyday
Change to be more like Him who took my sins away