of my returning accent

I was born in the place of the
Chattanooga ChooChoo
near where you can stand on Lookout Mountain
& see seven states at once!

Later, I was raised up in the land of Jo Carson
& Dolly Parton
Eastman Kodak Chemical & the Meade Paper Companies
I grew up distrusting the heritage of Country music
but secretly loved Funfest
& wanted desperately for the KKK to have been spawned
in some other state

When I went to college
& I was trying to become a citizen of the world
I tried very hard to tell witty jokes with dry humor
to speak intelligently
& write poetry in French
French was sometimes hard because of the accent marks

Somewhere during that time, I lost my accent

When I was ready to fly on my own
at the age of 23
I landed in the place of
Nikki Giovanni & the Kind
The same mountains cut ever so slightly
different from my home
I fell in love with coffee shops & knick knacks
I discovered couscous & pine nuts
& tried very hard not to think about the fact that
I was falling in love with a place that once had itself
drawn out of Appalachia

For ten weeks this summer
I've been living in the place of
the UMW (which no longer means United Methodist Women to me)
of Mother Jones
of Wendell Berry & Bob Edwards & Ralph Stanley
of my returning accent & & &

& I realize now that I've learned how to draw myself back into Appalachia

Next spring, a new adventure's on the horizon
I'll pack up my tiny car again
and strike out for the land of
Bob Dylan & Garrison Keillor
Dr. Seuss & Mary Tyler Moore

I wonder what impact this new place will have on me...
Will it leave accent marks on my sentences?
Will I be as inclined to write poetry across my skin?
Will I find that I am yet again able to call this strange, new place
home?