O ble dw i'n dod
Dw i o biniau dillad,
o Clorox a charbon-tetraclorid.
Dw i o'r baw o dan y porth cefn.
(Du, yn disgleirio,
roedd yn blasu fel betys.)
Dw i o'r llwyn forsythia
y llwyfen Iseldiraidd
yr wyf yn cofio ei aelodau sydd wedi mynd ers amser maith
fel pe baent yn fy rhai i fy hun.
Dw i o fudge and eyeglasses,
o Imogene ac Alafair.
Dw i o'r rhai sy'n gwybod popeth
a'r rhai sy'n cael eu trosglwyddo,
o Perk i fyny! a Pipe i lawr!
Dw i o Ef sy'n adfer fy enaid
gyda chig oen pêl gotwm
a deg pennill y gallaf eu dweud fy hun.
Dw i o Gangen Artemus a Billie,
corn wedi'i ffrio a choffi cryf.
O'r bys a gollodd fy nhaid
i'r aderyn,
y llygad a gauodd fy nhad i gadw ei olwg.
O dan fy ngwely roedd blwch gwisgoedd
dywallt hen luniau,
rhidyll o wynebau coll
i ddrifftio o dan fy mreuddwydion.
Dw i o'r adegau hynny--
torrodd cyn i mi blaguro --
cwymp dail o'r goeden deulu.
- George Ella Lyon
Dysgwch fwy am darddiad y gerdd hon, y prosiect "I Am From", a darllenwch eiriau canllaw Lyon i'r rhai sydd wedi'u hysbrydoli i ysgrifennu fersiwn eu hunain yma.
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Each one teach one from the heart, and may hearts shake hands with each other. Mitákuye oyàsin, hozho naasha doo, beannacht. }:- a.m.
Thank you for Your project and bringing Where I am From back into my consciousness.
I used George Ella Lyon's Where I Am From poem in Belize to break stereotypes between cultures and teach using the 5 senses and descriptive writing with ESL and high school students. We then did an exchange with a rural school in Pennsylvania where I lived at the time as a way to build bridges beyond stereotypes of America. It was a powerful experience for the students and teachers and me too.
I'd often thought of revisiting especially during this time of extreme polarization because as I traveled across the US in 2016, 17 & 19 on tour facilitating recovery from trauma sessions, I met people of all walks of life across all political views and underneath it all we all want to be heard and understood ♡