poem: elizabeth jones

heavy abundance

I am from sidewalks
from knock-off Calvin Kleins and soy sauce KFC
I am from the pagoda house on the hill overlooking the
concrete jungle

I am from cornfields
the mango tree, whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were
my own

I’m from clean plates
and eating with gusto
from Lena and Mariamma

I’m from the telling of long stories
and the slap-kneed laughter of fathers
from “be excellent”
and “no one is perfect”

I’m from seek God everywhere and
find Him by helping others

I’m from mercy and rebellion
meatloaf and chili peppers
from the Tibetan village of friends and
the pedal-pushers in the Minnesota forest

The bookshelves sag under the weight of
photo albums
a chronological path of pictures
dusty, with heavy abundance

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about the writer: elizabeth jones

Elizabeth Jones Gutierrez directs program development at a non-profit dedicated to helping immigrants integrate into the US workforce and culture. Prior to this role, for the past 19 years, she was a founding partner in an architecture and urban planning firm where she worked extensively in community development. Having lived abroad in Hong Kong as a child, Elizabeth acquired an early appreciation for the vivid and varied landscape of cities and has proudly called Philadelphia her home for 23 years. An avid walker, she roams the city filling up her mental cup for her creative outlets, which include writing, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, music making with her son, and anything crafty she can do with her daughter. In addition, she loves to binge-watch crime dramas, make cocktails, read, and travel to big cities and get lost. She is working on her first novel. Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, a Master of Arts in Geography from Temple University, and a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages).