Where I’m FromA model and tips for your identity poem

Tips Be honest. Don’t wear a mask in this assignment :o)

Use imagery, detail, and figurative language to create an interesting and realistic depiction of where you’re from.

If you get “stuck” on one prompt, let it be and return to it later. Other parts of the template may spark ideas for previous prompts.

BE CREATIVE; think outside the box. Follow the template, but don’t let it define your poem.

Follow the 2-stanza template:

A stanza is a poem paragraph (so you should have 2 total!)

I am from (specific ordinary item)…

TIP: something that you see/use/value on a daily basis

Mrs. M’s example:

I am from wild blackberries pouring over a white picket fence,

from (product name) and (another product)

TIP: name brand you swear by, products you can’t live without

Mrs. M’s example:

from sweaty Saucony sneakers to spicy Sriracha sauce.

TIP: think both inside and outside the house, your room, your neighborhood

Mrs. M’s example:

I am from the raised ranch on the corner of Warren & Martin, where bicycle tiremarks and pastel chalk sketches cover broken sidewalks like tattoos from one arm of the block to the other.

I am from the (home description)…

TIP: you don’t need to be literal; use figurative language (it tasted like cheerios)

Mrs. M’s example:

It sounded like Mom’s piercing whistle over the low trill of train wheels on tracks in the distance.

It (tasted, sounded, looked, felt—choose one)…

TIP: use items that represent your life experience or that you might find near your home or favorite vacation spot

Mrs. M’s example:

I am from the perfect skipping stone,

the aromatic bunches of basil, rosemary, dill, & chives hanging delicately, their brittle leaves rustling with every slight breeze.

I am from the (plant, flower, or natural item)…the (plant, flower, or natural item)…description of natural item…

TIP:

Tradition: something you do to celebrate a holiday or birthday or that you do on a weekly/daily/yearly basis

Trait: something that everyone (most people) in your family has in common

Mrs. M’s example:

I’m from the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree amidst imposing windmills at Almeter’s farm

and deep set dimples that present themselves best with laughter around the dinner table.

I’m from the (family tradition)…and (family trait)

TIP: choose parents or people who shaped who you are, people who you find yourself most like

Mrs. M’s example:

From Frederick Carl Widmer and Patricia Anne Kibler

and Papa Joe (by choice).

From (name of family member)…and (another family member). And (another name)

I’m from the (description of family tendency)…and (another family tendency)

TIP: think about mannerisms and personality traits unique to you and your family

Mrs. M’s example:

I’m from chronic procrastination

and the “Kibler goodbye,” an event in and of itself.

 

SECOND STANZA

Skip a line and prepare a new poem paragraph

From (something you were told as a child)…and (something you were told as a child) TIPS:

think about family sayings/mantras, how you greet one another, what is always being yelled across the house

Use quotation marks

Mrs. M’s example:

From “pick and hand”

and “you are my sunshine”.

I’m from (representation of religious or spiritual beliefs or lack of it)…(further description of spiritual beliefs) TIP: think about how you approach life and decisions

Where does your moral compass point you? Why?

What do YOU believe?

Any mantras/prayers you live by?

Mrs. M’s example:

I’m from “Dear God, Good Morning…”

and the power of a breath, trusting in God’s universal presence and balance in all things.

I’m from (place of birth and family ancestry) TIP:

Place of birth could be as abstract or concrete as you desire

Family Ancestry can be all-encompassing or you can choose a part of your heritage you most identify with

Mrs. M’s example:

I was delivered from unconditional love at Sister’s Hospital of Buffalo, New York where my German blood first started running through my tiny veins,

(Two food items that represent your ancestry) TIP: any food/beverage you associate with your

cultural heritage or upbringing

Mrs. M’s example:

Tante Lisiel’s poppy seed mohnstrudel and meats from the West Side Hungarian butcher.

From the (specific family story with a detail about a specific person)

TIP: Choose a memory/story that you feel defines you or has made a real impact in your life

Mrs. M’s example:

From my cousins, thrill-seekers and free-spirits, holding my hand 20,000 feet in the air just before our freefall into the blue sky,

The (another detail of another family member) TIP: Choose a family member who makes a

difference in your life and focus on one of their traits/tendencies

Mrs. M’s example:

My father’s tight grip on my arm as he both held the back of bicycle my first time without training wheels and my arm as he walked me down the aisle at my wedding.

I am from (general statement with DETAILS about who you are or where you are from)

TIP: Look back over your brainstorming sheet and find anything that you left out that is of importance to your identity

Mrs. M’s example:

I am from the quaint village of East Aurora to the rolling hills and sunsets of Geneseo to the hipster chic

streets of Brooklyn back to Hamburg where I lay down new roots with my new family.

I am not from London, Positano, Sedona, Chicago, Cholula or Amelia Island, but my memories from

around the globe are postcards hung prominently in the forefront of my life.

I am from farmer’s markets and leaving it all on the field to where I am today,

in the arms of my Joes cuddled under a blanket, my whole world fit snugly on one end of a couch.