Od kod prihajam
Sem iz ščipalk za perilo,
iz Cloroxa in ogljikovega tetraklorida.
Prihajam iz zemlje pod zadnjo verando.
(Črna, bleščeča,
Imelo je okus po pesi.)
Sem iz grma forzicije
nizozemski brest
čigar davno izgubljenih udov se spominjam
kot da bi bile moje lastne.
Sem iz čokolade in očal,
od Imogene in Alafairja.
Sem izmed tistih, ki vse vedo
in prenose naprej,
od Perk gor! in Pipe dol!
Jaz sem od On obnavlja mojo dušo
z jagnječjo bombažno kroglico
in deset verzov lahko povem sam.
Sem iz podružnice Artemusa in Billie,
pražena koruza in močna kava.
Iz prsta, ki ga je moj dedek izgubil
do polža,
oko, ki ga je moj oče zaprl, da bi ohranil vid.
Pod mojo posteljo je bila škatla za obleke
razlivanje starih slik,
preplet izgubljenih obrazov
da lebdim pod svojimi sanjami.
Iz tistih trenutkov sem ...
počilo, preden sem pobrstil --
odpadanje listov z družinskega drevesa.
- George Ella Lyon
Izvedite več o izvoru te pesmi, projektu »I Am From« in preberite Lyonove besede napotkov tistim, ki jih navdihuje, da napišejo svojo različico tukaj.
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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 ♡