Where I’m From
“We are born in a certain time and a certain place and like vintage wines we retain the flavor of our origins.” ~ Carl Jung
I am from a granite boulder seawall
and cotton candy at Paragon Park
I’m from blackberry stains and beach rose petals
catalpa beans and bamboo
I am from my father’s eyes
after he saw the holocaust at Buchenwald
and the nape of my mother’s neck
where white pearls hung
before her thyroid surgery
I am from Hail Mary full of grapes
midnight mass and pennies in the poor box
I’m from the unlucky luck of the Irish
the old sod and Southie
before there were gangsters
I am from A your Adorable
B you’re so Beautiful
God Bless Mommy and Daddy
Jimmy and Kathy
Colleen and Danny
Sherry and Johnny
Joey and Bobby and Trish
I am from the salt of the earth
One if by land, two if by sea
John F. Kennedy and Fenway Park
even when the Red Sox are losing
I’m from ice skates and alphabet streets
jump ropes and black and white TV
I’m not from the farm or the city
I’m from plastic flowers in the village cemetery
and horseshoe crabs with blue blood
I’m from my grandmother’s picnic basket
sleeping on curlers in baby doll pajamas
kerchiefs and bobby socks
hoola hoops and the twist
Dear Diary today is Friday
I’m from a one pot New England boiled dinner
from steamed clams dipped in real butter
and playing monopoly during a hurricane
by a kerosene lamp in our kitchen
~ Colleen Redman
The above poem was inspired by George Ella Lyon’s poem of the same name, from the book Where I’m from, Where Poems come from. I wrote it in 2005________________dVerse Poets Pub
May 7th, 2013 10:36 am
You forgot, ‘and your wicked’.
May 7th, 2013 12:19 pm
a portrait i enjoyed learning more about!
May 7th, 2013 3:12 pm
This is so wonderful Colleen, and Soooo rich in imagery…A WONDERFUL Poem, my dear…..And even though I am older than you—I know some of these same things….I LOVE that it is so very personal!
I have a personal writing in Music & Lyrics on my Blog today….And me singing too….
May 7th, 2013 3:24 pm
This is gorgeous and rich. Very personal and specific, but you allow us in, too. Well done!
May 7th, 2013 4:17 pm
I thought this a lovely poem. A joy to read.>KB
May 7th, 2013 5:05 pm
This is such a wonderful piece–so full of life and love and the stuff of life–I so enjoyed it!
May 7th, 2013 5:12 pm
dang…this is wonderful…i love it when people do these…and the one on your fathers eyes and mothers neck…that was the first that really grabbed my attention…what a contrast in it…really lovely imagery throughout….excellent verse….
May 7th, 2013 5:54 pm
you had me at the first line… and “cotton candy at Paragon Park….I want to go there now!! wonderful words and images rolling over one another so fast…love it!
May 7th, 2013 9:40 pm
What a wonderful write, splendid . I loved every line.
May 7th, 2013 10:48 pm
The imagery was so rich, almost succulent. Such a wonderful piece and I learned a lot about you in the process. Wonderful work Colleen.
May 8th, 2013 2:41 am
A wonderful abridged autobiography – it flows all the way through, and carries the reader along apace.
May 8th, 2013 8:03 am
I still cry when I read it!
The picture is magnificent with this poem.
May 8th, 2013 12:06 pm
I must have read it before then but it is worth rereading. It’s a powerful formula for telling ones story.
one is what one fills oneself with. consuming beauty, sharing beauty.
May 9th, 2013 12:33 pm
You’ve painted a fabulous self-portrait. I’m going to have to track down the piece that inspired you–and I think you’ve inspired me to work on my own version. Thanks!