George Ella Lyon started a tapestry of poems by people across the globe when she published "Where I'm From" over 10 years ago. Since then she has united each person who describes their unique origin using the template from her poem. So I decided to try this assignment from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop today. A lot of childhood memories surfaced as I began filling in the blanks...
Where are you from?
Where are you going?
I am from soccer cleats,from Cadmium Red fumes and diary keys.
I am from the suburban sprawl over pockets of Midwest corn.
(Row after row,
by default.)
I am from the abandoned lot of Fescue grass, the maple red-bronze and gold-green,
that melted in between wax paper and Crayola shavings
under my mother's iron.
I am from birthday breakfast in bed and Thunder Thighs,
from 50 Mauck Lane and south side Chicago.
I am from the story tellers and poets, from survivors who eat table crumbs after meals and
Christmas money envelopes on the tree, from the gift to enjoy childhood and no college loans.
I'm from Crying Doesn't Help and You're Not Average.
I am from Baptist and Republican,
from Catholic and Democrat.
I'm from the space of seeking a belief, the yearning to know the truth.
I’m from Midwest statelines, apple crunch and Fresh Bread Tonight,
from the yard Grandma B. set on fire to the departing pulse of helicopter blades over my father in Vietnam fields.
I am from sheltered closets and superficial hallways,
scratching to escape and find a corner in the world where I belonged,
only to discover after roaming the world
my corner is home.
18 comments:
love this! i always wonder what my kids will write one day.
oh Kimmy....so beautiful so beautiful
Beautiful, Kim! I've been reading a few of these posts based on that prompt, and it's so wonderful to read all about where you're from.
Very well done, love the Midwest corn reference by default, that is a really cool observation.
Wonderful pictures! Hope all is okay with you :-)
I absolutely love it! You've done such a great job!
Love this, Kim! You did a great job! Nice knowing more about where you came from and the memories you hold dear :)
Loved how you described your childhood and your experiences growing up. And especially, tying it back to home. Such a sweet ending.
Wow! That is terrific! Beautifully written.
Such a wonderful way to get to know where you're from and where you're going. Thank you so much for sharing.
very nice! I'm from the midwest,too. I understand what you mean by all those rows of corn.
I love the crayola shavings under the iron...made me think of my childhood.
Loving this Kim. You truly are a balance and a product of happy.
I could hardly pay attention to the meaning, which was profound, because I (a writer) was so distracted by the quality of writing.
I can't believe you wrote this today?!
It. Is. Incredible.
PS: Have you ever read any poetry by Paul Durcan? - Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil is one of my fave of his collection. He's my favorite poet. He growls when he gives readings, unintentionally. I think poets are fantastic. This knocked my socks off! Esp. this line: I am from soccer cleats,
from Cadmium Red fumes and diary keys.
I love how you ended this. Great job.
You are a wonderful writer! Lately I've been thinking about where I'm from and how it affects my story. This poem was quite inspiring. And it's nice to get to know you better in the words of a poem.
Wow Kim! Your take on this prompt was one of my favorite. The ending, so beautiful.
Fabulous job!
Nicely done!
Lovely. Poetic and insightful.
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