Where I'm From

Where I’m From #57 By Michael Prywes Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from backseat Yes & Know Invisible Ink (For Ages 7-77). From leaky TOMY Waterfuls and Strat-o-matic. I am from the Eastern Nassau shag-carpeted, brushed-nickeled, formica-coated splanch. (Artificial, arbitrary, like the sharp blue center of a “peppermint” Velamint) I am from Taxus Baccata: Shaved, spruced, trimmed, and offe...

Where I’m From #56 By Morgan Baker Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from the sun and the beach From peanut butter & fluff to Wilson tennis racquets I am from divorce and remarriages From New York and Cambridge. Tall buildings and back yards, new schools and new friends I am from sand and the ocean Warm and cold From Islands surrounded by the dark Atlantic and the bright Pacific From strength...

Where I’m From #55 By Carolyn Freyer-Jones  Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from paper plates from Thomas’s English muffins and white label, no name ketchup  I am from the first floor apartment with the long hallway and the dining table where cigarettes were tamped out in the skin of mostly eaten baked potatoes  I am from grass outside the building and sweet gum trees with spiky balls that were...

 Where I’m From #54 By Jacqueline Whitmore Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from sunshine and citrus groves, porch swings and sweet tea. I am from azalea bushes blooming vividly in my backyard. bursting fuchsia petals, just in time for Easter. I am from orange blossoms a harbinger for good luck, health and fertility. I’m from pot roast dinners and scenic drives on lazy Sunday afternoons. From Els...

Where I’m From #53 By Gillian Jorgensen Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from dirt clods, from cheddar cheese and Crisco shortening. I am from the wallpaper in every room. (Florals, rabbits, my fingertips followed textures rough and smooth.) I am from wheat fields, turning from green to gold with the seasons and always full of grasshoppers. I’m from roll-ups and freckles, from Catherine and Melvi...

  Where I’m From #52 By Becca Andrews Inspired by George Ella Lyon  I am from a mixing bowl Shiny and dented Smudges of fudgy chocolate frosting Streaked across worn metal by eager fingers. I am from dust motes dancing in the multicolored light (Stained glass transforms the ordinary into magic) I am from magnolia trees Loaded with dark, waxy leaves and stiff, ivory petals Coaxed out of loamy, midn...

  Where I’m From #51 by Myriam Steinberg  Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from books From Frog and Toad, and frogs on a log I am from behind the curtain of the darkening room (orange and purple skies, book on sill, heart beating “will I get caught”) I am from lilacs and wisteria  Jutting and dripping, bookending the garden I’m from le hadlik ner shel shabbat and big noses  From Danny and Claudin...

 Where I’m From #50 By Mya McDowell Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from above ground pool. From Tropicana Orange Juice and Entennmann’s. I am from the house on the corner, tiny, colorful, smelling like fresh-cut grass. I am from bright tulips, that only grow at the crack of Spring. I’m from movie nights and sensitivity From Keith McDowell and Yasmin Herrera I’m from the harmless teasing and bik...

  Where I’m From #49 By Amy Rogers Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from skillet dinners, from Rice-A-Roni and Chef Boyardee. I am from just another cinderblock apartment complex where kids fend for themselves. Gray, two-story, with damp carpet from Florida’s mildew. I am from the backyard grass at the house in Michigan where we lived before it all went wrong. I’m from fast eaters and arthritics,...

 Where I’m From #48 By Asha Dore  Inspired by George Ella Lyon *Originally published at The Rumpus I write where the rocks gather on the concrete steps leading down from the front door. Rocks that sparkle black and silver like they fell out of the sky. The sky rocks gather in between the porch boards. I pull my dress out to fill it with rocks. I gather up the rocks, fold my dress in, carry them in...

Where I’m From #47 By Ria Carrogan  Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from an 80s VHS player and Saturday morning cartoons. From Ice Magic and Marmite. I am from sitting on the back door step on warm summer nights, sipping sharp cider and watching the bats in the apple tree. I am from lavender and thistle,  Fragrant, sharp, with a defiant ability to flourish. I am from three siblings, gently teasi...

Where I’m From #46 with George Ella Lyon  A beautiful discussion about the original poem and all of its permutations. A truly joyous conversation. 

Where I’m From #45 By Miranda Vatterott Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from a latchkey From Vicks Vaporub for whatever ails you Soaring heat over 100 degrees of the Central Valley At least it’s dry heat I am from raisins and figs from the fields my great grandparents worked  From summer camping trips  And long sobremesas From Stella and Jesse whose provisions had no end  From a teacher and a co...

Where I’m From #44 By Lynn Shattuck Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from rainforest And no road out From sharp mountaintops and silver water I am from Nowell Avenue, where my entire universe once lived: Godparents, aunt, uncle and cousins, best friend and babysitters I am from sliding glass back doors, always open Seven-Up and Triscuits And slivers of summer I am from strong women: Pilot, poet,...

Where I’m From #43 By Heather Frese Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from cedar closets, From Sun-In and orange Cheeto dust. I am from the covered bridge in the park, paintworn, children rolling in the green grass underneath. I am from the honeysuckle wafting along the rail trail whose goldensweet tendrils I remember as if they were my own. I am from Sunday morning tennis matches, holding service...

Where I’m From #42 By Melissa Meloro Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from books, From Italian Ice, brown, low-pile carpet, and a big stack of records I am from the downstairs room where I keep a bucket of toys, including an old cast from my arm, smelly and covered in faded 2nd grade signatures. I am from the warm, never-bending rule of Family First And original performances created with a dozen...

Where I'm From #41 By Katie Colt Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from FM radio, from the backseat of a Buick  and the piano bench. I am from the cement patio  outside the sliding glass door. (Gray, cool to the touch,  a playground for ants). I am from the tomato plants the cicadas whose swelling songs  still serenade me on July evenings. I’m from diet soda pop and coupons, from Miriam and John....

Where I'm From #40 By Eileen Drennen Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from books shelved floor-to-ceiling, reading for hours  and making notes in the margins.  From crunchy buttered hard rolls and good Jewish rye, Tea with cream and sugar and jugs of Gallo wine. I’m from the three-story Victorian bought for a song,  From Lemon Pledge and orange Formica, Stained glass laughter and door-slammed tea...

Where I'm From #39 By Kassie J. Runyan Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from a child’s dream Formed of stars and sheep I am from yesterday’s home Always changing, painting patterns on the wall, And smelling like lavender I am from the dirt in the ground As it runs through my fingers And I imagine what it will grow I am from music being sung in every room From the lips of my mother and father I am...

Where I’m From #38 By Kim Rowe Inspired by George Ella Lyon I’m from window air conditioners, from Happy Meals and Rainbow Brite. I’m from the hills in every direction. (Verdant, rolling, a compromise between the jutting, coal-rich Appalachias to the Southwest and the horizontal, swampy farmland of Jersey to the Northeast.) I’m from the peonie bush the persimmon tree whose fruit I loved because I...

Where I’m From #37 By Nisha Mody Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from hair oil, from Amla and coconut. I am from the carpet beneath my mom’s bed where I sat as my mom applied it on my hair. (oatmeal colored, burbur, unforgiving) I am from the bouganvillea magenta, my mom’s dream flower, also known as the paper flower which I just learned is edible. I'm from snacky dinners and anxiety, from Nalin...

Where I’m From #36 By Tria Wen Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from VHS tapes spooling to snow over time. From Joni Mitchell’s Greatest Hits, and vinyl from 1966, black as the soil in my parents’ garden. I am from the ocean of my mother’s imagination: a sea that is the sky, a sky that is the sea, air savory with the salts of our next meal — a wakeup from a dream. I am from seeds scattered genera...

Where I’m From #35 By Ronit Plank Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from a scratchy sofa striped in five different shades of brown and hotel towels we brought home in our suitcases From Raid roach spray, Aquanet, canned creamed corn, and bringing Dad coffee in the mornings: two teaspoons Folgers, two teaspoons sugar, a splash of cream I am from bigger than the first apartment, darker and dirtier c...

Where I’m From #35 By Ronit Plank Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from a scratchy sofa striped in five different shades of brown and hotel towels we brought home in our suitcases From Raid roach spray, Aquanet, canned creamed corn, and bringing Dad coffee in the mornings: two teaspoons Folgers, two teaspoons sugar, a splash of cream I am from bigger than the first apartment, darker and dirtier c...

Where I’m From #34 By Lina Lau Inspired by George Ella Lyon I am from homemade things Pizza and dresses and playdough in every colour I am from the house before the bend, Small, red-brick, blooming lilacs in spring I am from a towering maple Swung in its arms, covered in leaf piles, burnt orange and brilliant I am from snow forts and blanket forts Summer road trips across the border Sand in our ba...