Sample poem #1

I am from awapuhi ginger
sweet fields of sugar cane
green bananas.

I am from warm rain cascading over
taro leaf umbrellas.
Crouching beneath the shield of kalo.

I am from poke, brie cheese, mango,
and raspberries, from Marguritte
and Aunty Noni

I am from Speak your mind
it's o.k. to cry
and would you like it if someone did that to you?

I am from swimming with the full moon,
Saturday at the laundromat,
and Easter crepes.

- Excerpts from "I Am From Pink Tights and Speak Your Mind" by Djamila Moore. Appears in Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice, Volume 2. Edited by Bill Bigelow, Brenda Harvey, Stan Karp, and Larry Miller. Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools. 2001. http://www.rethinkingschools.org

Sample poem #2

I am from get-togethers
and Bar-B-Ques

I am from the smell of soul food
cooking in Lelinna's kitchen
From my Pampa's war stories
to my granny's cotton pickin'.

I am from Kunta Kinte' strength,
Harriet Tubman's escapes.
Phyllis Wheatley's poems,
and Sojourner Truths' faith.

If you did family research,
and dug deep into my genes.
You'll find Sylvester and Ora, Geneva and Doc,
My African Kings and Queens.
that's where I'm from.

- Excerpts from "I Am From Soul Food and Harriet Tubman" by Lealonni Blake. Appears in Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice, Volume 2. Edited by Bill Bigelow, Brenda Harvey, Stan Karp, and Larry Miller. Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools. 2001. http://www.rethinkingschools.org

Questions:

1. The author's used imagery that appealed to many senses. What images describe or refer to sights? Sounds? Tastes? Smells: Things you can feel?
2. Who are the significant people described in each poem?
2. How did the author's let you know about their ethnic backgrounds? Provide examples of phrases that especially spoke to you.

Write your own poem:

1. Generate a list of significant images and metaphors that reflect your home and family. Include the following:
· items found in the house
· family sayings or phrases
· the tastes and smells of important foods
· other sensory images (smells, textures, sounds, sights, tastes)
· names of relatives

2. Then incorporate these images into a poem. As in the sample poems, each of your stanzas should begin, "I'm from…"