1. Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon I am from clothespins,
Where I'm From
by George Ella Lyon
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush
the Dutch elm
whose long-gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.

2. I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
to the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments—
snapped before I budded—
leaf-fall from the family tree.

3. “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon
Places
Events
People
Imagery
Things
backporch
Artemus (KY)
Billie’s
Branch (creek)
under the bed
church
worship service
lost finger
lost eyesight
father
grandfather
Imogene
Alafair
Clorox (smell)
dirt (taste)
finger (feel)
coffee (smell)
lost faces (see)
fudge (taste)
cottonballs (touch)
clothespins
forsythia bush
Clorox
Dutch elm tree
dress box/pictures
auger
cottonball lamb
Bible
corn / coffee
fudge

4. “Where I’m From” – DAY 1 Now it’s your turn:
Brainstorming a list of old memories, writing them down on your chart.
Then fill in words on your template to create your own poem

5. “Where I’m From” – DAY 2 Using your completed template: Type your poem
Edit it using Spellcheck
Add one image that appears in the text of your poem.

6. Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush
the Dutch elm
whose long-gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.

7. I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
to the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments—
snapped before I budded—
leaf-fall from the family tree.

8. “Where I’m From” by Casey McDonald
Places
Events
People
Imagery
Things
brick house
Midway (KY)
Austin (TX)
suburbs
Grandfather lost sight to diabetes
Grandmother’s arthritis (?)
Erlene
John Cecil III
Grandmother
Grandaddy’s
Sandpaper (feel)
Bible scripture (hear)
Beatles song (hear)
stereos
Cheerios
fossil fuels
sandbur
books
cavities
Bourbon balls
photos
diabetes
smiles