My pastor has talked about this poem and suggested that we write our own.
Where I'm From
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush
the Dutch elm
whose long-gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.
I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments--
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.
Mine probably needs a little work, but here it is:
Where I'm From
(adapted from George Ella Lyons)
I am from a land of tourists
overflowing in the summer and dead in the winter
from driving on the frozen lake or swimming past the bouy
from cornfields and rivers, lakes and bridges
from the apple tree
with an abundance of apples on the ground
I am from church, Sunday school, and confirmation
the walnut and the stone
from neighbors who bring food after funerals
and neighbors who tell all to parents
from the importance of education
always knowing I would go to college
I am from hardworking and long hours
and pipe fittings and appliances
from alcoholism and abuse
from powered milk and tuna casseroles
neither of which are palatable
from sitting on the bed with the taste of soap in my mouth
I am from "scooping the loop" and hanging out at the grade
from red Chevette, losing keys, and running out of gas
from red tagged Levis from the Three Sons and Twin Bings
the two do not necessarily work together
from Pat Benetar, Areosmith, and Billy Joel.
I am from football and basketball games
participant and bystander
from hunting and "keep your eyes peeled"
from bumps of the blacktop drive
from the sound of the basketball against the backboard
I am from small town, college and leaving home.
I am from these moments, memories, and milestones.
Together they make and break me!
Where I'm From
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush
the Dutch elm
whose long-gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.
I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments--
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.
Mine probably needs a little work, but here it is:
Where I'm From
(adapted from George Ella Lyons)
I am from a land of tourists
overflowing in the summer and dead in the winter
from driving on the frozen lake or swimming past the bouy
from cornfields and rivers, lakes and bridges
from the apple tree
with an abundance of apples on the ground
I am from church, Sunday school, and confirmation
the walnut and the stone
from neighbors who bring food after funerals
and neighbors who tell all to parents
from the importance of education
always knowing I would go to college
I am from hardworking and long hours
and pipe fittings and appliances
from alcoholism and abuse
from powered milk and tuna casseroles
neither of which are palatable
from sitting on the bed with the taste of soap in my mouth
I am from "scooping the loop" and hanging out at the grade
from red Chevette, losing keys, and running out of gas
from red tagged Levis from the Three Sons and Twin Bings
the two do not necessarily work together
from Pat Benetar, Areosmith, and Billy Joel.
I am from football and basketball games
participant and bystander
from hunting and "keep your eyes peeled"
from bumps of the blacktop drive
from the sound of the basketball against the backboard
I am from small town, college and leaving home.
I am from these moments, memories, and milestones.
Together they make and break me!
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