Where are you from? Those are often the first four words you here at school, on dates, at dinner parties, weddings, and work. Our identities are so often rooted in where we came from. Many answer that question literally — California, Ohio, Arkansas, Australia — but the concept of home carries multitudes: it can be anywhere we make it and the place we find our family, friends, our tribe. Inspired by the poem “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon, for SixContest #130, we want you to write your six-word origin story.

What does home mean to you? Are you from the South or the North? From immigrant grandparents and Civil War soldiers? The city? The country? Maybe you don’t have a home anymore? Or you aren’t welcome in your old one? What music did you grow up with? What grocery store was down the street? Have you created a home for yourself? We want to know.

If you'd like to share a backstory (we love reading them!), be sure to submit your entry as a Six and include the link to the Backstory here in the comments below. Share as many stories as you like, but do post only one entry per comment. The prize will be an exclusive Six-Word Memoir’s keychain!

Remember to tag us and include #I’mFromInSix when posting your six-words to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Special thanks to community member L2L3 for suggesting this prompt—she is indeed From Six!