my mother for instance
with her same blond hair
and her same glasses
and her same smile
paved the way for me
in college, in love,
in life in general.
the barn near my house
provided the love of
leather and horse smell.
the small town
gave me a desire for
its opposite: cities.
I rebelled against the
shiny prepackaged religion
youth group showed me.
my parents taught me
tolerance, compassion,
open-mindedness.
school tried to teach
me bigotry and racism
to no avail.
finally college, and the
sweet boy I met there,
and the big trip all by
myself, came together
to make me simply me.
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