this is an example

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.

Instructions

1. Read, Listen to, and watch “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon. (See above.)
2. Brainstorm — List specific details related to your life. The key is to make this exercise as specific and personal as possible. Use nicknames or words that only you or your family use. Use items and places that are specific to your life, memories, and experiences. Don’t worry about readers not knowing what you’re talking about. This is own your personal poem. When you put it all together, you will see that it conveys a deep sense about you. Some details you might consider:
   • Food and meals
   • Family games or activities
   • Songs
   • Children’s stories, books, or poetry you still remember
   • Family sayings that were often repeated
   • Great advice you received from older family members
   • Ordinary household items
   • Traditions or family traits
   • Accidents or traumatic experiences
   • Joys and losses