1. STUDENT POETRY
INSPIRED BY
GEORGE ELLA LYON’S
“Where I’m From”

2. I Am From
By Izzy F.
I am from bright lights and big stages
From music filling my life each day
I am from Wednesday nights at church, the fun that never ends
I am from iPhones and Instagram, which it seems I can't live without
From photography and editing, which I love too much
I am from stormy nights that make me sleep on the couch with my dog, scared to
death
I am from “try harder” and “GET OFF YOUR PHONE,NOW”
From the loads of decorations my stepmom is always putting up
I am from the move that changed everything, the phone calls that always lose
service
These memories stashed in iPhoto albums, taking up too many “gigglebytes”
But will be forever there, due to iCloud
I am from Danielle and Kevin’s branch
The root that is stomped all over, but still supporting the tree

3. I Am From...
By Steven F.
I am from the beaches.
The sand, the shells, and the azure coast.
From the fiery forges
Of virtual steel.
I am from the mechanisms
Of office armories,
And the tinkering of school supplies
When I should be doing classwork.
I am from the flights
Of trips from summers long gone.
And the dust kicked up
from hikes into the unknown realms of the backyard.
I am the apple that fell away from the tree,
But I will never stray far
from the orchard.

4. I Am From…
by Ava B.
I am from gold caffeine free Dr. Pepper
From face scrubs and Vera Bradley pencils
I am from the one story plus game room perfect-for-our-family-size house,
From the smell of constantly lit candles with all different scents
I am from the slope in our backyard
From the peonies that still stand strong with tender care from my dad
I am from going to the barn at 6:30 and opening one present on Christmas Eve
From Angela and Duane
I am from quoting movies 24/7 and watching every episode of Project Runway
I am from “eat your greens” and “go above and beyond”
I am from Dallas and Indiana and garlic bread
From Pop’s (Grandpa’s) leg that was lost in the ski trip, the leg that still limps today
I am from Disney World autographs and dirty brown saddles that always need cleaning
From memories that sit on shelves and hide in boxes in the attic
I am from the mementos that give little bursts of happiness when I look at them
Memories that make me wish I was still there

5. Where I’m From
By James L.
I am from the fridge in the kitchen
from Blue Gatorade and Red Dr. Pepper
I am from the old, warm, cozy house
with a smell of chicken roasting in the oven
I am from the old oak tree in my front yard
I am from white elephant on Christmas Eve
I am from Julie and Rob
I’m from eating ingredients when cooking and dinner at 6:30
and from shooting hoops before doing homework
I’m from winners never quit and quitters never win, and never ever give up
and from hard work pays off
I’m from road trips to camp and New Mexico
I’m from Austin, Texas with a lot of German blood
From old Army stories from my grandparents about my great granddad
who was tall and skinny
From Nolan Ryan pictures and a long sharp Bowie knife
which are on the walls of my room and in my heart

6. Where I'm From
By Grant A
I'm from a small neighborhood
From front yard football games
and long greenbelt hikes
To mini sword battles where we carefully planned out every move
From salted caramel hot chocolate
and homemade banana pudding
To my mom's special Thanksgiving meal
From 6:30 a.m. football practices
and basketball tryouts before school
to two day weekend baseball tournaments an hour out of town
From light khaki pants
and bright neon basketball shorts
to brand new, sweet smelling Sperry’s
From midnight premiers
and Ironman marathons
to #trickshottuesdays and #flashbackfridays
From my mom
From my dad
From Austin, Texas

7. I Am From…
by Saira M.
I am from a red, white, and green flag with a blue flower in the middle,
From Dad forcing me into the life of old classic rock,
And from Mom forbidding the words “stupid” and “shut up,” but pretending
to not hear them when my sister was being especially mean.
I come from the birthplace of Plano, Texas, and from the smells of yellow
curry and pink lotus flowers,
And from Brother Bear, Mulan 1&2, The Jungle Book,
and all Disney princess movies,
From Nathan and Maya, and close friends of the family.
I am from gold, red, green, and brown, the color scheme of our house,
warm and inviting,
From huge gardens, bright flowers, a trampoline, and swings that can
absorb my interest like a towel for hours at a time,
As well as from that one color-blinding, unnatural, seizure-inducing
bright turquoise room, owned by my sister, that doesn’t complement or go
with anything in our house.

8. I Am From
By Kevin Z
I am from Washington State
Where it snows by the foot
Where there is a risk of major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but we still live on
And where I have spent many childhood years living and playing
I am from my home
A nice, cozy, and one-story house made of white stone blocks
From spending holidays dozing in my green bed
To wasting free hours playing random computer games
Or diving into the water in my pool, blue and cool
I am from school
From where I first set foot in Forest Trail
And West Ridge
From doing hours of mind-numbing math homework and interesting science projects
To writing this poem
I am from Boy Scouts
From working on merit badges, first aid, and advances in the Texas heat
From setting foot on cliff faces in Colorado coldness
From blasting targets with rifles and arrows
From reveling in accomplishment when I advance a rank
I am from my family
Where we speak a different language
Where I am a mutated leaf on the family tree, because I’m different from the rest
On my mom and dad’s branch
Where the majority of us are thousands of miles apart
But still together

9. I Am From...
by Dahlia L
I am from Houston,
From what feels like the most humid, swampy climate on planet Earth.
I am from long nights under covers, secretly reading.
I am from the JCC, where I can be myself with people who are just like me.
I am from darkness, preferring to stay unseen in the shadows.
I am from long discussions with various family members about their chosen profession
I am from snowy winter vacations in Massachusetts,
With those long evenings spent with a blanket, hot coco, and The Lion King
I am from “Dahlia!”’s being yelled from all directions,
and I am from cozy nights, curled up in a ball on the ugly green futon with my family all around me.
I am from a Jewish family, and my ancestors fled Spain to keep their faith.
I am from the Haunted House, with its overgrown ivy and shrubs and grasses, with the peeling paint, and the green-tinted stone
steps.
I am from roasted marshmallows, playing softball, and an uncle obsessed with the Red Sox,
and I am from “Quiz me!”’s, over and over again, finally caving and quizzing my brother in geography, and him me.
I am from long car trips and chocolate,
from Harry Potter, The Book Thief, and Lone Wolf.
I am from a big extended family,
from Argentina and Poland and Israel and Romania.
From long conversations about genealogy.
I am from being confused half the time, from cello, from music and from African hand drums
I am from an ancient legacy, from all the other Jews who came before me,
but most of all,
I am from my family.
•

10. I Am From…
Izadora F.
I am from a different country
Where the language is unknown to most
Where the biggest part of my family is from
Where snow falls by the meter
I am from a unique family
Green eyes is my specialty
Blond hair is a secret my brother and I share
I am from under a red roof
A stone house
Plain but beautiful in its own way
From an explosion of different shades of green around
I am from the need of chocolate
To being nervous to speak in front of a crowd
I am from getting angry at my brother with a snap of a finger
To doing things that are excruciatingly boring like homework
I am from sadness
From the pain I felt when my poor, 18 year old uncle died
From the agony I felt as when my forehead got cut open
I am from a favorite place
The comfy, snug living room
From the chocolate brown couch
With the hot, dry Texan sun shining big and bright

11. I Am From…
Drew W.
I am from the basketball hoop outside my house
From my pantry and my comfy couch
I am from the big white house that I grew up in
from the unforgettable smell of rubber in the basement
I am from Thanksgiving dinners and lots of turkey
from the annoying frog that used to sit outside my house and keep me up all night
I am from going to Maine every year to meet up with my cousins and grandparents
and from watching football all Sunday long
I am from “be nice to your sister” and “get off the couch”
and “life’s not fair”
I’m from playing elevator tag and trying not to get caught
I’m from California and USA
from Subway and pizza
From my grandpa being in the navy
captain of his submarine
and the many pictures of my family covering the walls of my house