Identity poem
I am from clogs at the bijkeuken (scullery) door, of cuckoo calling on the summers’ evening air and hoar frosted windows, of Gestampte Muisjes ( a breakfast condiment) and playing in the haystack with my brother
I am from the old farmhouse with thatched roof, with the soaring attic with relics from days gone by, of wooden sleds a and oil lanterns, of spring sun warming my eyelids on the wind protected canal bank
I am from the buttercups and lupins, of the gooseberries still too tart, and monkey wood peeled to reveal the inner soft core, of sanseveria’s on the window sill, of crocuses pushing their purple and yellow heads through the gravel path, of autumn fairy gardens made of bark , mushrooms , braches and moss.
I am from my grandmother’s oliebollen ( a type of dutch fried pastry) and straightforwardness, from Cevaal’s, Capelle’s , and Priemies’
I am from farmers and making things, of sewing and knitting,of stories told in front of the coal fire
From Huguenots who fled many centuries ago, from Spanish who invaded centuries ago, and from Zeeland before the flood
I am from dutch reformed stoicism fromgrandparents, which in the lives of my parents emerged as tolerance and fairness
I am from Anna Paulowna, named for a Russian ballet dancer, of polders and dikes, of horse tenders ,orchadists and farmers, from vermicelli soup with meatballs,and gestoofde peertjes met aardappels en sue en carbonaatje, of nasi goreng and sambal oelek, of salted herring with finely chopped onion at the Den Helder market
Of my mother making clothing designed in her head and fabricated by her hands, of my father’s vegetable garden tended with care, of my grandmothers’ hand knitted socks and her death the day after John Kennedy died, of my opa playing draughts and chewing tobacco
I am from immigrants who turned their faces to southern lands and a new world where kangaroos and emus came to stare, where fence lines measured miles and where hot summer sun burnt your skin
I am from the stoic women in their fine lace caps, and zeeuwse knopjes and bloedkralen necklaces, of dutch hoes and gezelligheid
I am a new Australian, taking all that was to grow in this new land, this new language and this new love.
The original poem can be found here <http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html>
A template can be found here
:<http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/archives/2005_02.html#003144>
Here are some word/poems created:
<http://twolimeleaves.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/i-am/>
<http://mollybawnchronicles.blogspot.com/2007/11/where-im-from.html>
<http://peasoupoftheday.blogspot.com/2005/07/where-i-am-from.htm>
Here is the template and do have fun!!
I am from _______ (specific ordinary item), from _______ (product
name) and _______.
I am from the _______ (home description… adjective, adjective,
sensory detail).
I am from the _______ (plant, flower, natural item), the _______
(plant, flower, natural detail)
I am from _______ (family tradition) and _______ (family trait), from
_______ (name of family member) and _______ (another family name) and
_______ (family name).
I am from the _______ (description of family tendency) and _______
(another one).
From _______ (something you were told as a child) and _______ (another).
I am from (representation of religion, or lack of it). Further description.
I’m from _______ (place of birth and family ancestry), _______ (two
food items representing your family).
From the _______ (specific family story about a specific person and
detail), the _______ (another detail, and the _______ (another detail
about another family member).
I am from _______ (location of family pictures, mementos, archives and
several more lines indicating their worth).
