My Poem Where I am From

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Join us in exploring the power of storytelling through poetry. We invite you to review our selection of poems and familiarize yourself with the template provided. Through poetry, we have the opportunity to share our unique experiences and cultural backgrounds. Take a moment to delve into these resources and find the template linked below:

I’m from the Tall Pines, Big Timberlands of the Carolinas

I’m from lands of great beauty, deep pain and deep confusion

I’m from a big family on both sides of the Carolinas border

I’m from a land where Mozart, Miles and Motown filled my soul

I’m from the lands of bright sunshine, juicy fruits, green grass and fantastic summer adventures

I’m from abundant love, great belonging, deep sadness and intense loneliness

I’m from the arms of deep affection and the confusion of pain, misunderstanding and abuse

I’m from the welcome and safety of a loving uncle’s embrace and the magic of his caring

presence

I am from family dinner around the dining room table. Most of the time Dad was there. There would often be chicken, some kind of greens or other vegetable and rice or mashed potatoes. Mom would often make an apple pie or sweet potato pie. With a family of 5 children, the pies were normally made in a large somewhat deep cookie tray. 

Growing up, my clothes were either from an inexpensive store or handed down from white customers my father worked for in his painting, plastering and wallpapering business., 

I am from a childhood of bike riding, roller skating and bow & arrow shooting, basketball, playing chess and checkers. Neighborhood 

friends and I participated in these activities joyfully.

 I am from bacon grease and collard greens,

from hot combs on hot plates and tobacco fields.

I am from the place where hogs outnumber people,

and it smells like chitlins and fried chicken.

I am from the place where pine trees are clear-cut every fifteen years,

strawberries are small, soft, and sweet, not big, hard, and green.

I’m from pound cake for birthdays, and work, not rest, over the holidays,

from the line of Milton and Dorothy Allen.  

I am from “Your word is supposed to mean something,”

and “It doesn’t matter how you feel.”