I am From

I am from the land of California

where I have lived all my life,            

the land of the predictable,                                          

the unhurried,

a community of friendly people                                          

But also

from India, the land of my ancestors,

the land of the unpredictable,

the land of bustling and crowded cities,                                                                                      

the land of the friendly faces and cheerful voices

The land of people who laugh and cry together.                             

I am from a city researching agriculture,     

providing better food for the future,

where people roam the streets on bikes,

and where there is a biking hall of fame                           

But also                                                                                        

from a country booming with agriculture,

slowly moving from agriculture to tech,          

where people travel in cars and scooters,

and where traffic rules are mostly ignored,

But people still don’t mind the chaos

I am from a small city,                       

so small,

you bump into people you know all the time,

so the world doesn’t seem so big                                                    

But also

I am from the second largest country by population,

so densely populated,

that you are surrounded by people wherever you go,

and the world seeming faster than it actually is

I am from the suburbs,                      

living in peace,                                 

where the world doesn’t seem like an evil menace,

and we live in peace and harmony,

I am from Davis, California

But also

I am from the land of my ancestors,

where agriculture and tech coexist,          

where the world feels to me chaotic yet serene,                             

and we live in peace and harmony,                          

I am from India