Thursday, July 21, 2005

I am from...

Came across renditions of this poem on a few blogs recently. Both Red Current and Pea Soup have superb examples IMHO. Each version left me in a state of quiet awe and gave me further insight into their respective worlds. I love that! So, having been completely inspired by these wonderfully creative women, I figured I'd give the exercise a go. My version follows.

I am from...

I am from popsicle sticks and paste, from the fin of the mermaid who swims abreast the Chicken of the Sea and from the test kitchen of Chef Boyardee.

I am from walls swathed in dark chocolate, trimmed in whisper white, where birds greet the day in a chorus of beeps, tweets and squawks, wrapped in a quilted harvest of golden paisley, red and blue.

I am from the withering orchid upon the windowsill, the moss covered stone.

I am from turkeys stuffed with pumpkins and wild mushrooms and from quick wit, dry humor and quiet desperation, from Richard Henry and Suzanne Victoria, from Mr. and Mrs. Newhall.

I am from the unbridled suffering of a king and the uncensored survival of his queen.

From six to one, half a dozen or the other and I am not your friend, I am your father.

I am from the devout catholic and the secular humanist.

I'm from El Valle de San Fernando and the mythos of Transylvania, oil-sodden potato chips and cremated macaroni and cheese.

From the sister who tumbled down the hill, parents whose eyes rolled in disbelief at the young girl’s tale and a grandfather who paid quiet witness to the folderal, silence belies guilt by association.

I am from walls adorned with cherubic cheeks and curly mahogany locks, myriad landscapes, travels of yesteryear, and ancestors making memories, all at the ready to spring from their wooden confines begging to be unearthed, relived and experienced anew.

18 comments:

sara said...

whoa.......


man....



speechless.

Kimberly said...

Wow Regina! What a wonderful version of this poem! Great job!

Nancy said...

Cool.. I may try the exercise. I'll post it if it comes to anything good.

~drew emborsky~ said...

your poem made me hungry.

Heather Cox said...

I like the mermaid and Chicken of the Sea part. Might have to try this over the weekend.

Ro said...

I love it, I love it, I love it.

Yours is pure brilliance, as is everything you touch!!!

xoxo
Ro

Anonymous said...

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................WOWwww...............................................................................................................................................................................................Seriously.......................................................................................................................................Speechless too. WELL DONE!

Anonymous said...

That stupid thing cut off my comment. Err,,,anyways...i'm speechless too. I read that so cooly, and smoothly. It had a beat to it. SUPER COOL.

kath red said...

oh how wonderful. you really have an amazing way with words - evoking images and feelings. beautiful.

Unknown said...

wonderful

Amy O'Neill Houck said...

well done! and chocolate walls, yum!

LadyLinoleum said...

Thanks you guys! My sister is a poet and I feel weird when I write this kinda stuff because I am clearly NOT a poet. However, when I have a template, I can write this stuff.

Now everyone should try it now!

Suse said...

Beautiful, evocative. You are a poet of breathtaking talent, my new friend! Don't forget to link it back to Fred, the originator of the project.
:)
Suse (Pea Soup)

sueeeus said...

That was beautiful! I love these poems. What an inspiring project it's been. :)

BabelBabe said...

Really beautiful. Your writing is lyrical.

And funny that my dad used to say that thing about being our father not our friend. It used to make us kids crazy!

woof nanny said...

Awesome. I love this project. I wrote two, and I actually may compose more--it's cathartic in a way.

Rebecca said...

very cool. i've seen several of these. no way could i ever do it justice, so i'll continue to enjoy all the others :)

woof nanny said...

Excellent. I wrote one of these also, many months ago, and it circled about my mind for quite awhile. I could have written a million versions.

Was it you who left a comment on my blog today with the kind comments? Thank you.