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I Am From MAG
July 29, 2008
I am from
My green blankey and
Climbing out of my crib
From playing mermaid in the bathtub.
I am from walking my dog,
And the noise he made when I step on his tail.
I am from my sheep nightlight
And Blue’s Clues and the Berenstain Bears.
I am from spinning until
I can’t tell where I am and
Seeing the world upside-down.
I am from long days at school
And hurrying home to watch Pokémon.
From chocolate-chip cookies at
Grandma’s house.
I am from July days in the pool
And running through the sprinklers.
From my imaginary friends and
The games we used to play like
Doctor and patient and teacher and student.
I am from trips to the grocery store
And that time I fell out of the cart onto the
Sticky linoleum floor.
I am from the tap tap tap
Of my tap shoes that one week
That I decided to be a dancer.
I am from trying new things.
I am from rainy days
And board games,
Saturday cartoons and Cheerios.
I am from walks on the beach
And the sand on my feet,
And not wanting to go home after vacation.
I am from Barbies and Polly Pockets
From playing with my sister,
The other half of me.
I am from books and flashlights
And pens and paper.
From silence to screaming.
I am from tears on my pillow
And unanswered cries.
From holding your hand
And that look in your eyes.
I am from past and present
And dreams of the future.
I am from hard work and
Harder play.
And I am from writing down my thoughts
On a midsummer’s day.
© Philip J., Diamond Bar, CA
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 357 comments.
julzgilmore said...
on Dec. 19 2008 at 3:57 am
Exactly, just because she wrote down something similar doesn't mean it's plagiarism or copy-cat. Beside this is Teen Ink, meant for writers in the making.
It was a lovely poem. I read it and thought of myself growing up. You can tell she wrote it from childhood memories by the way she presents them in an order, each reminding her of another.
Great Job and keep writing.
Look up my poem - Description Without Proof and tell me what you think if you please. I need some feed back.
It was a lovely poem. I read it and thought of myself growing up. You can tell she wrote it from childhood memories by the way she presents them in an order, each reminding her of another.
Great Job and keep writing.
Look up my poem - Description Without Proof and tell me what you think if you please. I need some feed back.
duckie430 said...
on Dec. 17 2008 at 7:33 pm
good job! i like this poem
crich897 said...
on Dec. 17 2008 at 6:07 pm
If, truly, you have never seen Lyon's poem, I take back the negative things I have said and apologize for them.
I realize that sometimes I am overly critical of some of the work on here. I guess that's just a flaw of mine: I see technicalities just as clear as I see the actual content. If I have offended any of you, I am sorry. If ya wanna debate at all, shoot me an email at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you.
"theauthorofthispoem", now that you have challenged me to see what I can do, I just may put a piece or two up here. I can't put any of my winners on, obviously, because they sort of "own" that work now. But we'll see what I can do.
Sorry again, all.
I realize that sometimes I am overly critical of some of the work on here. I guess that's just a flaw of mine: I see technicalities just as clear as I see the actual content. If I have offended any of you, I am sorry. If ya wanna debate at all, shoot me an email at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you.
"theauthorofthispoem", now that you have challenged me to see what I can do, I just may put a piece or two up here. I can't put any of my winners on, obviously, because they sort of "own" that work now. But we'll see what I can do.
Sorry again, all.
tweedle dee said...
on Dec. 17 2008 at 5:16 pm
you go girl!
theauthorofthispoem said...
on Dec. 16 2008 at 2:27 am
to crich897: quite frankly, i have never even heard of this Lyon person. i acknowledge that this poem could be similar to this person's poem, but please stop calling it a version of something else! Great minds think alike. haha I just wrote what i was feeling, i didnt know it would be so bothersome to some of you people! and really, you could have written that "long list of critisisms..." but it wouldnt mean anything. I would like to see you write something better! and it has been on top for so long because PEOPLE LIKE IT! hello, why else? Please stop trying to put me down with your jealousy of my work. seriously, instead of critisising me, why dont you channel that feeling into your own piece?
to donnydotnet: thank you! i try very hard and i am glad you like it. My poem was published in November, and i submitted it in early august. you might have to wait a while!
and thank you to everyone else who commented on my poem! i really appreciate it- yes, even your comment crich897!
to donnydotnet: thank you! i try very hard and i am glad you like it. My poem was published in November, and i submitted it in early august. you might have to wait a while!
and thank you to everyone else who commented on my poem! i really appreciate it- yes, even your comment crich897!
amybelieves93 said...
on Dec. 14 2008 at 3:07 am
dang...this is so good! I love how random it is yet it pulls together perfectly at the end with kind of a love story twist to it :) this is great!
DonnieDotNet said...
on Dec. 13 2008 at 6:04 pm
Wow this is amazing. Can you tell me when your writing was published though? I'm very impatient and I don't know when they check their submissions...
blacvelvet said...
on Dec. 13 2008 at 1:38 pm
This poem was GREAT! Keep on writing from the heart!
crich897 said...
on Dec. 13 2008 at 4:04 am
I could write you out this big long criticism... but I won't. I just have one simple question: why has this been on top for so dang long?
By the way I agree with debaser. No way did you do this without any inspiration from Lyon. Every high school english class in the nation looks at Lyon's "Where I'm From" poem at one point or another.
By the way I agree with debaser. No way did you do this without any inspiration from Lyon. Every high school english class in the nation looks at Lyon's "Where I'm From" poem at one point or another.
JZEkarose said...
on Dec. 13 2008 at 1:41 am
Wow this just gave me chills.
it made me start to think about what would be in my poem, if i was to write one like that. that is so good.
it made me start to think about what would be in my poem, if i was to write one like that. that is so good.
sexygurl101 said...
on Dec. 12 2008 at 4:51 pm
i love this poem it inspired me so much, keep on writing.
Ashleyyyy said...
on Dec. 10 2008 at 4:21 am
I love this!
jbird265 said...
on Dec. 3 2008 at 2:52 am
This is cute.
MnM011895 said...
on Dec. 2 2008 at 9:45 pm
It was really good! Just about any kid can relate to this! KEEP ON WRITING! =)
theauthorofthis! said...
on Dec. 2 2008 at 3:01 am
Hey! I actually pulled this piece straight from my brain! So please don't call it a "version" of someone else's poem. THIS IS ALL MINE!
Debaser12 said...
on Nov. 30 2008 at 12:22 pm
This is an interesting version of the original "Where I'm From." I like it. My writing class had to do a similar exercise. You really should have given some credit to George Ella Lyon, though, because it's not fair to take her format and not say it was hers.
DesertFlower said...
on Nov. 24 2008 at 7:15 pm
Whoa that was awesome!
Taro! said...
on Nov. 16 2008 at 12:27 am
I really like this poem, it brings a feeling upon me. Though I've never experienced some of the things mentioned in your poem, I still like the thought of coming from where you were in the past. Don't let others tell you it's unoriginal, they get the theme, and they start saying it's all too common. But love is a common theme too, but no one ever really underrates it. So nice job!
Sarah W said...
on Nov. 14 2008 at 9:28 pm
I really like this-- it flows well and your specificity makes it super relatable. A giant step up from the cliche nostalgia that a lot of teens write about. Nice job!
leelee said...
on Nov. 13 2008 at 2:46 pm
i luv this poem it has a nice flow with it.. so nice
