I am From. . .

Last updated on: June 21, 2011 at 9:49 am by Kathy Tuan-MacLean

I am From. . . 2011-06-21T09:49:00-04:00 Kathy Tuan-MacLean

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Maybe because Ren’s “graduating” from elementary school, I’m on a roll posting about him.

This morning at school, he showed us his accomplishments from this year.

Here’s the poem he wrote (with his permission) modeled from George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From”:

I am From
By Ren-Ren MacLean

I am from Christmas songs at Christmas
(every note drifting out of a rusty brown piano)
I’m from four giant book shelves
towering over me. Picture books and chapter books
stacked high above me
From our fruit bowl piled high with white nectarines
sometimes hard sometimes rotten
From our refrigerator cascading with soups and salads
all kinds of romaine, lettuce and cabbage
crispy apples, juicy oranges and sour lemons and limes.
I’m from the constant
drip drip drip
from the faucet of our old sink

I’m from a white peely
splintery fence
lined with red and yellow tulips
purple balloon flowers and daisies
From two lilac trees separated by two ugly
bushes and prickly thorn covered white rose bushes
I’m from a glistening white diving board hanging
over crystal clear water that ripples with a light breeze
that is, if Ling and Kai aren’t in it.

I’m from boiled and fried jiao zi
Scallion pancakes
Uncle Joe’s pierogies

I am from a long wall of albums
baby books and picture frames
from two comfortable but ugly couches
now replaced by a U couch

I’m from many family reunions
delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner
with the Groenevelds and lots of visits
to CA and HI with the Tuans and Tomikawas
I’m from the MacLeans–Mom, Dad
Ling, Kai and me

For all the chaos, fighting, yelling, whining and challenges of being a family, sounds like it’s not too bad being from where we’re from. . .

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