Where I'm From
George Ella Lyon
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.
where i’m from
Hallie Herz
i’m from cub scouts
and demolay,
from tiddlywinks,
black licorice,
and bazooka bubblegum,
from “squeeze my finger”
and “just try it-you’ll like it,”
from harriet the spy,
lacrosse,
and blackberries behind the house,
from baseball games in hip-high grass,
from crosby, stills, and nash,
robison and friedman,
elvis,
and Dinah Washington.
i’m from thirty years in California,
smiles in a pink photo album,
the twinkle in your eye.
Where I’m From
Leanna Trimper
I am from cold winters,
falling water and bitter wind.
I am from “Ghost in the Graveyard”
wearing all black at dusk in summer.
I am from “Mr. Rogers,” “Smurfs,”
and “Ren & Stimpy.”
I am from T-ball
and Big League Bubble Gum.
I am from backyard BBQs,
Nancy Drew Books and ACDC.
I am from generations of Immigrants
unnamed in photos tucked away in
my closet.
Where are you from?
• Here are some questions to get you started:
• At age 12:
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What toys did you play with?
What sports/games did you play?
What did you do in your spare time?
What singers/groups did you listen to?
What candy did you buy?
What were the fashions?
What was a saying/expression that other kids were using?
What was your favorite TV show?
What celebrity or public figure did you admire or have a crush on?