I AM

I am a child.
I am all the things of my past.
I am the smallness of my Aunty May.
The planfulness of my father
Reading the instructions at the kitchen table.

I am all I see.
My "duckie" rocker on the back verandah.
The sand hills at Anna Bay.
Angry winter waves smacking against the rocks.
The early morning sparkle of the Munmorah Lake.

I am all I feel.
A hairy caterpillar in the palm of my hand.
Warm sand under my bare feet.
The cold waves lapping around my legs.
The wind against my face as I ride down the hill.

I am all I remember.
Gardening with Nanna on Sunday afternoon.
Planting bean seeds with Grandfather on the farm.
The greenhead bites under the apple tree.
Climbing the trees in the rectory paddock.

I am all I have been taught.
How to fold socks the "correct way".
Not to cover the strawberry plant heads.
To set the table as if the Bishop was coming.
The times tables in Mr. Watson's class.

I am all I think.
A home by the water.
Vegies in the back yard.
The cool green of a rainforest.
I am me. I am a child of God.

© 1990 Dawn Chapman
Used with permission