Where I'm From, Mrs McFarlane's 4th Period

November 18, 2008 - 12:05am by M.Howard

In class you were asked to write about your own identity, based on George Ella Lyon’s poem “Where I’m From.”  Think about the themes we have addressed so far this year:  What is America, Who is an American, the Preamble. How does your own story fit into the American story?  

Think about where YOU are from.  This does not have to mean your ethnic identity or ancestor’s homeland, although it could deal with this. It could also be just what has helped to create the “YOU” that walked into US History this year.  

Please share your poem here by responding to this post.  If you have chosen towrite a song or create artwork, you may share by pasting the link to your song or photo here.

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Beat-rice wrote on December 8, 2008 - 10:03am:

I am from tulips in the spring
And honeysuckle throughout August
I am from homemade cookies at Christmas
I am from BBQ’s and Family Reunions
I am from the East Coast
I am from neat-freaks
And furniture you can’t sit on
I am from Guitar Hero with the neighbors
And outrageous Halloween Parties
I am from driving around the town and causing mayhem
I am from a good family, some great friends, and can't wait for more to come!

To die would be an awfully big adventure – Peter Pan

Matthew Shumate wrote on November 24, 2008 - 5:18pm:

Where I’m From

The land of one thousand islands they call it.
That’s where I’m from.
The hot and heavy air the lush green forests
The white beaches and crashing waves.
The city with the jeepney .
That’s where I’m from.
The hectic streets and endless venders
The towering buildings and jollibee.
The Philippines
That’s where I’m from.

mieraf wrote on November 20, 2008 - 6:40pm:

WHERE I AM FROM
Mieraf

I am from a very far away land
That has faces both blissful and sad
I am from a country where hunger dwells
And where people suffer in many ways

I am also from a place full of happiness
From a country where man has a strong faith
I am from a nation that has a history
Dated farther than many other countries

I am from the homeland of ancient Lucy
I am from a place where there’s so much to see
From a country with a vast diversity
From a place where people with different cultures
Live together with huge respect to each other

I am from the land of the poor
But also from the land
Where everyone sticks together
I am from the one and only…. Ethiopia

PL-7764 wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:50am:

I am from a large house and machines that do everything for me.
I am from vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and dishwashers
Always taking on the tasks people used to do.
I am from convenience and leisure
From electronics and hardware
From hours being saved by the press of a button.

I am from theme parks and movies
From entertainment that immerses me from all sides.
I am from cartoons and video games
That completely absorb the mind
Requiring thinking skills I never knew I had
Forever moving forward to an end that comes none too soon.

I am from a world of lights and sounds
From images and music and voices that come from all sides.
I am from a world made of notes and instruments
From music that changes in the blink of an eye
From one song into another entirely
Without changing its feeling.

I am from buttons and switches and remote controls
From things that were always there when I wanted them
But I never know how important they really are
Until I leave them behind
And see a new world.
I am from endless appliances and equipment and electrical currents
From a world of industry and convenience.

Nate wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:49am:

I am from lands far, far away.
I am from the coastline of Northern Europe,
where your surrounded by blue.
I am from the enjoyment
of Eblesceaver.
I am from the proud heritage
of all my ancestors.
I am from my great Grandparents
who were the last to call this place home.
I am from a family who cherishes life
generation to generation.

Ricky wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:49am:

I am from the year of the goat
And feel free to take note
My people make up a majority of the world’s population
Which brings a great attraction
I am from people who may look harmless
When we play our style of chess
We have kung fu and tai chi
I am from people who drink tea
The vast and lengthy Great Wall
Will always be standing tall
In autumn, families eat Moon cakes
While watching the moon
Walking alongside lakes
In the late afternoon

Ben wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:47am:

I’m from many different places.
I’m from many different things.
From potatoes, to communism, to and one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union.
Ireland, Poland, Russia and Lithuania, those are the countries I’m from.
I come from a family of immigrants.
I come from the Nazis evil empire.
I come from New York and Cleveland.
I come from a family full of different diversities.
I come from a family who taught me to respect everyone’s culture.
I’m from Christianity and Judaism.
Where I’m from?
I’m from a lot of different things.

Mackenzie wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:47am:

I am from croissants
To tea and crumpets,
I am from potato famines
And Berlin Walls,
I am from the virtual melting pot
I lack cultural customs,
But make family traditions.
I am from my Mom and Dad
And two half sisters that make me whole,
I am from two car garages,
And Sunday night dinners,
I am from my loving,
Sometimes crazy,
Complicated,
Family.

Calvin wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:47am:

I am from the frozen northern wastelands

The cold streams where copious amounts of fish flow

I am from the humid air

That dances in the South

I am from the soil that grows crops

The soil that shed blood for freedom

The soil that sweeps the

Stories of legends, fairytales and myths

I am from the temples that echo

The nations that build their cities

Brick by brick

I am from the countries that allow

Fear to lead their lives

wegeleben wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:47am:

Where I’m From
I am from the land of the free
Where I’m free to be me
I am from the land of the large and powerful
With the hummers, jeeps, and muscle cars
I am from Church
A place I always feel welcomed
I am from the Nehemiah
Set upon a path to rebuild what is broken
I am from music
Where I can express myself without words
I am from speech without words
Speaking my mind and heart aloud, yet all they hear is music
I am from the land of the brave
Men and Women risking everything they have to make sure I stay free

Erica wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:46am:

The Wild and Strange

I am from the cock-a-doodle-doo of rooster that rose this morning at two.
I am from the Amish farms with buggies and horses
I am from the Canadian praries,
With wide open skies above and farms below.

I am from the keys on a piano playing a Sunday hymn,
Just like my Nanna and the Nanna before her.
I am from the churches with little white steeples,
The doors open to many people.
I am from a long line of teachers,
And also, a long line of preachers.

I am from bunnies, birds, chickens, cats and a dog.
I am from years of public speaking and keeping records.
I am from showmanship, judging and big trophies.
I am from a thing called 4-H.

I am from the wild and strange,
Where we do things differently.
But not that much,
Because you see,
You and me,
We come out of the same potpourri.

EmilyO wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:45am:

I am from sausage sizzles and bogey boarding on Christmas Day,
Fenced in golf greens to fend off sheep gone astray.
I am from cricket on the lawn that lasts well past sun down,
Hours of imagination atop a familiar, well-worn trampoline.

I am from 100% pure maple syrup at Sunday brunch.
Rosy raccoon faces from days on the white frosted slopes.
Sitting on Grandma’s counter double-dipping my favourite spoon
Into the mounding batches of cookie dough I can’t resist.

I am from the Commonwealth of Nations,
North and South, the classic and contemporary.
I am from places combining majestic mountains, water and greenery,
Wherever I bring these cherished memories.

scottymccon wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:45am:

I am from a family of six
Living in military camps.
I am from soldiers,
and warriors,
I am from store owners to teachers,
and from Pearly Harbors
To old dirt roads.
I am from old, hand crafted
love letters written in Czech.
I am from loses,
And struggling to go on.
I am from the side of a hospital bed,
Learning to tie my shoes.
I am from nursing homes
Reading nighttime stories
My family is made from
Unexpected, life changing events.
I am from Japan
To Czechoslovakia,
From the east to the west.

Julia wrote on November 20, 2008 - 11:45am:

If the world ever stopped talking,
I don’t think my family would notice.
Because I am from a silent house with talking hands
From subtitles and different demands.
I am from stomping feet and flashing lights,
And for long not exposed to common phrases like “That bites!”
Chewing loudly and grunting a little
Would never leave you embarrassed or belittled.
Loud music and someone yelling are not typically annoying
Though, mittens are things we are not always enjoying.
This isn’t a country, a continent, or a passage,
But a culture, a lifestyle, a language.

Gil say what wrote on November 20, 2008 - 9:23am:

I am from Mexico
The country full of wisdom and legacies
I am from the houses made from bricks
Where the dirt roads are full of sticks
From kids playing with each other
And not slaving over the television
I am from the land that is full hills and mountains
No need for engines and propellers
Just hop and your bike and let the gravity take you
Take you far away from the stress and anger
I am from the parties with mariachis
That plays from the weddings to the die de los muertos
I am from the land that invented subraros
That eats beans and cheese
I am from the land that loves to pray
And brings joy to all that pay
The lismonia every sunday