Freedom of Speech

Where I'm From

This was originally a school project where we had to write a poem inspired by a different poem. I chose Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon, and this is what I wrote

I am from stories,

Passed down each generation

I am from the driveway where children play all day

(The sun on my back,

The wind that was barely there.)

I am from the the Malunggay tree,

the Kamias

whose fruits were sought by our neighbors,

the branches that always needed trimming.

I'm from books and long life

from the Jara's and Pamintuan's

I'm from the mathematicians and teachers,

From singing around all day.

I'm from the Plot,

The Conflict and the Resolution

With words so beautiful that I keep in my heart.

I'm from the New River, and the City of Angels

I'm from the cold place where pine trees grow.

From the sofa where my grandfather

did his crossword.

The lap of my grandmother where the cat used to sit.

In my memory is a collection

Of scenes both happy and sad

Faces of old friends,

Both remembered and forgotten.

I'm form these memories

Which appear in my dreams

Stuck in the past forever.