I Am From...
I am from a family where eating out is a picnic on the truck tailgate in the Hannaford parking lot
I am of the Red Sox Nation
I am from cursing upon realizing the 400 yard dash is in meant to be done at a full sprint
I am from my coach telling me to “jump higher” in the high jump, in case I didn't understand the point of the event in the first place
I am from a family where I am sent to rescue the trapped birds that flew down the wood stove chimney while my father hides in the next room
I am from the “plugged in” generation, where relationships are maintained through texts
I am from the hodgepodge of Irish, Scottish, and Abenaki indian roots
I am from the panic of having pressed snooze one too many times
I am from the joy of a snow day yet the moaning about the extra day come June
I am from a family where hot chocolate is considered one of the main food groups
I am from a town where the louder your truck's exhaust system, the cooler you are
I am from a family of early risers when all I want to do is sleep
I am from the due date panic, a result of excessive procrastination
I am from my nana's kitchen, from the smell of a batch of molasses cookies and peppermints in the dish in the hall
I am from a family of tree-huggers and greenies
I am from a mother who doesn't trust dryers, so I am from hanging endless loads of laundry on the “solar dryer”
I am from bimonthly trips to the garage to attend to yet another “check engine” light
I am from the senior year stress of getting into the “right” school
I am from the Jet-Puff marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate bars, and graham crackers around the fire
I am from a town of devoted Dunkin' Doughnuts patrons
I am from friday night football games
I am from PBS shows every day after school in elementary school
I am from endless swimming lessons at St. Joseph's College, and being sent back to level one for plugging my nose when jumping
I am from disastrous cooking experiments with my father on the weekends
I am from summers on the lake and winters on the chairlift up the mountain
I am from the memory of shadow monster, two-square on an unfairly tilted driveway, and "dodgeball" games in the backyard
I can definitely relate to alot of this! Good details. It makes anyone from our town and generation able to reminisce.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elena. It is both relevant from anyone from Gorham, but also anyone who grew up in a small New England town. There are so many good details here Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI love the going after a bird in the chimney while your dad hides.
ReplyDeleteI like how you were able to write such long sentences in your poem while still managing to keep the reader's attention. Your lines made me laugh and relate, especially with the "hodgepodge" of your family's background.
ReplyDeleteI love this I am from poem! Great work Sarah! The line about relationships being maintained through text is a real eye opener and putting it among lines that describe our childhood sent a really powerful message. It is remarkable how quickly we change based on social media!!
ReplyDeleteSarah this is so good, I love the line about swimming at St. Joe's. It is so true, I took lessons there too! Your details and memories can resonate with anyone, making the poem really enjoyable and personal to everyone! Good job!
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