sevenatenine

Enjoy the figurative language and imagery in this poem by seventh grader Emily H!

Where I’m From

I am from clay,

from pencils and paints.

 

I am from the desert underneath the silver stars,

cold and distant from the earth.

I am from the ocotillo bush,

the jacaranda tree,
whose purple flowers litter my memory
every passing spring.

I’m from ice cream and imagination,

from Rowling and Patterson.

 

I’m from the show-offs

and the shy ones,
from Well Done!
and Pay Attention!

I’m from “Once upon a time…”

with a book in hand and
daring adventures waiting to unfold.

I’m from quiet nights and warm days,

chirping geckoes and sour fruits.
From the friends I’ve lost because of
Pennsylvania, the family I left for
my new life.

In my closet was a notebook

bursting with drawings,
a cornucopia of inspiration
enough to keep me awake at night.

 

I am from these moments—

budding early, then blooming—
another blossom on the family tree.

Emily H. -- seventh grade