Where I am from

Where I am from -

the bouquet of orange blossoms was thick,
but the blankets were thin.

there were no lightning bugs on balmy summer nights;

we had cockroaches who came to call when we propped the screen door open,
hoping for just a brush of breeze.

the moss clung to trees,
to fences,
to the swingset my brother and I shared.

the seafood was sweet,
and plentiful,
and something to sustain the relatives swarming from New York.

the sun crisped our smellers,
the trees were spinach green,
and the cicadas crooned us to sleep at sundown.