“Where are you from?” by Angela Long

A bungalow on Crestwood Drive, hot tub bubbling behind the garage.

A condo in Seelbach, white stucco covering the walls.

A townhouse in Pheasant Run Estates, 45s spinning in the basement.

An attic in Oberschopfheim, watching the neighbours stomp on grapes.

An apartment above a Gasthaus, smelling goulash simmer every morning at ten.

A clapboard on Florence Street, three Volkswagens rusting by the curb side.

An en-suite bedroom at an English school, crabs from Lake Atitlan crawling up the toilet.

A studio in a winter city, angels smiling down from the cornices.

A custom-built on a desert plateau, stars shooting past every ten seconds.

A one-bedroom on St. Denis, two kittens sleeping in the sink.

A duplex off Bank, china cabinet sparkling with a hockey star’s crystal.

A dirt-floored shack in the Lowlands, blue butterflies drinking from the river.

A converted tool shed perched on a limestone shelf, learning to play the tin flute.

A thatch cottage overlooking the sea, rats scratching in the attic after sundown.

A heritage-house bed-sit on a hilltop, lights twinkling on Grouse Mountain.

Another on West Third, a magnolia blooming flowers big as saucers.

A hotel room above a lotus pond, listening to fireworks explode.

A cedar-plank cabin in a temperate rainforest, collecting rainwater in blue barrels.

An apartment beside a medieval castle, brick walls standing since 1492.

Works Cited

  • Long, Angela. Where Are You From? Canadian Liteature 199 (2008): 216. Print.