My grandpa came to America carrying stories he would one day tell his children and grandchildren about skinning and eviscerating deer in Burma and how he played with baby elephants with his cousin. I imagine he carried a little trunk of items to take with him to America. On visits to Burma he came back carrying beautiful dolls, purses and a pair of emerald earrings for me that I had to wait patiently to wear. He carries the bottles of wine he's made out into the living room to offer to the adults. He carries baskets of bread and other dishes of food to the dinner table on Christmas day. He carries programs of the theater shows I’ve worked on. He carries his pride and says everything with the confidence that what he is saying is 100% correct. Even if it's not correct. He carries stories from a lab he worked at. He carries his love for sports with him. He carries a toy out into the yard of the lake house and throws it into the water as dogs go jumping in to retrieve it. My grandma carries around dog treats almost everywhere she goes. Which is why so many dogs love her. In the summer she carries bags out of her car and onto the grass of peace neighborhood. Where she runs the gardening class in the summer. She carries shovels out of the shed so that the kids can dig things up or plant things. She carries her like for gardening and carries the garlic she grew from her garden and gives them to relatives here who she knows wants them. She carries the knowledge that her husband isn't always right about things and often over exaggerates. So she corrects him when he's wrong. I sometimes carry a heart locket around my neck that was given to me from a relative. I often carry emerald earrings on my ears. I carry a beautiful doll from Burma my grandpa gave me years ago off of one shelf and onto another. I carry my extremely heavy backpack around all day. When I could, I carried my dog Forks around sometimes but he's too big now to carry but I can still carry Spoons he just doesn't like to be carried. I carry a ring on my finger that has moons and stars and when I need to fidget with something I spin the moons and stars. I carry my love for rainstorms and watching the big dark clouds roll closer and closer and seeing how the trees dance in the wind. I carry my bike out of the garage as I get ready to cruise around the neighborhood and visit my parents as they walk the dogs in the evening summer air.
Artist Statement: this was an assignment for English that I wanted to expand upon and was encouraged to share by my teacher.