Where I Am From

 I am from

     poppy fields and vibrant vineyards

     buzzing tractors, barking pups

     all the good shows you never see anymore

     free tennis balls that the rich people leave on the courts

     my mother attacking rattlesnakes with a shovel

     the feel of my father's kisses on my forehead

     yelling first, laughing later

I am from

     TV dinners with the brownies

     pots and pans full of love and hard, burnt edges

     runs through McDonald's

     never-ending cracker stash

     grease that never bothered me

     homemade homemade pies

I am from

     country twang out of a knee-high speakers

     old and new Christmas tunes year-round

     different stuff out of my brother's room every year, every phase

     old-people sayings that I'll never understand

I am from

     "you can do anything you set your mind to"

     "don't let school get in the way of your education"

     "i'm sorry, I can't help"

     "why are your eyes like that?"

     "i love you more than anything in the world"

I am from

     a family tree cut down for lumber

     holidays where I don't belong

     histories I blend in with too much

     a family that I would never trade

I'm not sure exactly where I'm from

     but I know exactly where I am going.

• If you want to try a poem like this too, start each section with "I am from" and then follow it with a few lines of each: sights/sounds/smells, food, music, phrases/quotes, ancestry. This is a great way to not just learn about people, but also what they value most in their lives.