We all begin
As a clean slate
Or do we?
How much of my mom
Was present from 
The beginning?
What about my dad?
The physical likenesses
Are obvious, even expected
But what about nature-
Was I already more
Like one than the other?
Or did watching 
Their example
Produce gradual growth
Transforming me not
From a blank slate
But from the outline 
Of a complex
Paint-by-number portrait 
Coming into view
As each new color
Is added and blended
Brushstrokes 
Of emotions
And experiences
And connections 
Rendering
My journey 
Of Becoming