THIS “WHERE I’M FROM” POEM EXERCISE will help you explore your cultural identity and share it with those around you.1 Don’t try too hard to be poetic or cool or compare yourself to other people. Just tell the truth about your childhood background, and then share it with at least one other person. Then listen to their poem. Feel free to fill in the blanks and use the prompts, or go off script if you get inspired—just as long as the listener gets to know you and you get to know yourself.
I am from _____________ (traditions that remind you of home),
from _____________ (brands—clothing, products, labels commonly used growing up).
I am from ________________ (food you ate growing up and holidays you grew up celebrating).
I am from ________________ (favorite childhood activities, books you remember most, toys you collected),
from ________________ (family member’s names or names of people who took care of you).
I am from ___________ (plants/gardens that grew inside/outside your home),
from ________________ (sounds, touch, scents that remind you of home).
I am from ________________ (names of the places your parents are from),
from ________________ (names of the places where you’ve lived).
I am from ________________ (phrases you’ve grown up listening to and superstitions/traditions/oddities your parents/guardians always used).
I am from ________________ (activities, adjectives, descriptions that you think best describe your interests growing up).
I am from ________________ (faith traditions, faith journey, spiritual discoveries),
from ________________ (doubts, struggles with faith).
I am from ________________ (phrases or words that remind you of a significant struggle you went through),
from ________________ (phrases or words that remind you of great joys in life).
I am from ________________ (favorite quotes, mottos you hold dear).
I am ________________ (your name).
After you listen to someone share, express your appreciation for sharing their story with you. If you have questions, ask them in humility, not judgment or condescension. Some of the thoughts shared may have been sentimental and were definitely personal. Here are some sentence stems that may help ask good questions:
I was puzzled when I heard ________. Could you tell me more about that?
What did you mean when you said ________?
Could you tell me more about ________?
Please share your poems with us on social media using the hashtag #WhereImFrom.
The following is an example of a “Where I’m From” poem.
I am from bacon grease and collard greens,
from hot combs on hot plates and tobacco fields.
I am from the place where hogs outnumber people, and it smells like chitlins and fried chicken.
I am from the place where pine trees are clear-cut every fifteen years,
strawberries are small, soft, and sweet, not big, hard, and green.
I’m from pound cake for birthdays, and work, not rest, over the holidays,
from the line of Milton and Dorothy Allen.
I am from “Your word is supposed to mean something,” and “It doesn’t matter how you feel.”
I’m from Sunday morning services where it all looks great, and master bedrooms with two single beds.
I’m from Fairfax, by way of Brodnax, opposite sides of the James River,
from Pauline saying to Marvin Walton, “Don’t bring that shit into my house,”
and weekly basketball tournaments with cousins where I only won once!
from high school football in the fall and soccer in the spring.
I am from pictures on the walls and above the mantle piece,
the “Serenity Prayer” and Psalm 23 at the head of her bed.
I am from 655 Allen Road.
I am Jonathan Paul Walton.