This exercise is very loosely based on the George Ella Lyon poem and exercises called Where I’m From. I put it together after trying to use Lyon’s poem in some classes with students who just couldn’t seem to wrap their brain around the poem. This exercise was a nice way to ease them into it. Depending on the students (or poets) you could leave this as a simple list poem or use the list brainstorm to create something else. I alter the items on my list depending on my mood, the mood of the students, and whether it’s raining outside. (Okay, the first two are true. The last one, not so much.)
The students seem to like it because at first it’s just like answering questions, if you were an animal, what would you be? And I just toss out various items (kept on one of my trusty index cards in my back pocket) for as long or as short feels right. By the time they have their “list” they are warmed up and ready to go. Plus this builds on the 5 senses warmup poem we do every session.
So first off, just answer the questions to build your list. If you were a — what would you be?
Color?
Animal?
Article of clothing?
Sound?
Room in your house?
Smell?
Piece of furniture?
Job?
Food?
Weather?
Memory?
Dream?
Now build your poem. For kids I have them frame the poem by starting with “I am” and finishing with “I am.” I tell them the finished poem can’t have just one word answers. We usually title these poems “What I Want the World to Know About Me.” We go through these fast so they are reacting quickly and I don’t give them time to ponder the initial list until we’re done.
Okay, here’s my quick answering of those questions:
green
bird
fuzzy sweater
someone whistling
library
delta slough
rocking chair
gardener
storms of thunder and lighting
a child of 5 asking someone to look at her
to feel like I what I do matters
And here’s my quick draft of a poem.
WHAT I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW ABOUT ME
I am green, the color of growth, the sign that I am new and untried, with so much still to learn.
I am a bird, pecking at what looks like nothing until I find a valuable seed.
I am your favorite fuzzy sweater that makes you sigh as soon as your arms slide in the sleeves.
I am the sound of my grandmother whistling as she hangs clothes on the line.
I am the library, the center of our home, the room that tugs you into it and wraps you in a hug.
I am the smell of the sloughs out on the delta, my fingers trailing over the edge of the Glasper boat, while Papa captained us to the beach.
I am the rocking chair that rocked my babies to sleep.
I am the gardener of my life, growing stories and poems and an Eden in my own back yard.
I am storms that crash with thunder and lighting, so quickly do my moods change.
I am still, at times, a child of five, asking someone to please, just look at her.
I am one who wants to know that at some time, in this life, what I did mattered.
Your turn.
WHAT MY WORLD SAYS ABOUT ME
I am blue, the colour of the sea, where dolphins swim freely, just as I want to be free.
I am a horse, cantering around, without a care in the world.
I am an old pair of boots, so I don’t have to worry if they are not perfect.
I am the sound of silence, just for a short while, just long enough to ease my anxieties.
I am the kitchen, although I am falling apart, I am still capable of producing nice meals, for all to enjoy.
I am the smell of the sea, a place I could go to just sit and relax and watch for hours, such a calming place.
I am my lounge chair, where I like to just sit after a hard days work and just let it engulf me.
I am an entertainer, that way I get back the respect, recognition and encouragement that was stripped from me at an early age.
I am chocolate cake, especially with cream, I could eat it all day, that way I would have no time to worry about anything else, although my waistline would not thank me.
I am sunshine, simply because I know I am happier and calmer on a sunny day.
My fondest memories are of my two boys. From the day they were born they have been my world. Given me a reason to keep going on.
I don’t dare to dream, but if I did I would dream of having just enough money, so I would not have to worry each day. That would make me happy and calm instead of anxious and sad.
Isn’t that everybody’s dream.
– Anne McKenna
This is job well done, Anne.
This line hit me in the heart:
I am an old pair of boots, so I don’t have to worry if they are not perfect.
Thank you Susan:-
Just a bit of background as to were that line would have come from.
Boots were the first thing that come to mind. That was because when I was a child my grandfather used to sing a song to me called “These boots are made for walking”. It used to make me cry because I did not want to wear boots. I wanted to wear thongs and sandals and even go without shoes. Just like the other kids but I couldn’t because if I did I couldn’t walk. I hated those boots and that song so much that it used to make me almost physically sick every time I heard it. It will forever be one of those memories etched in my mind forever with indelible ink.
Susan, I almost didn’t do this because it would take some time, but then I got sucked into the fun of it. I can only imagine the affect this exercise has on teens who have spent years building walls around themselves to shield them from pain, and even their own emotions.
I am red, the color of old buildings by the New England seashore inviting me to a day at the beach.
I am a dolphin jumping waves, diving deep, enjoying the water.
I am socks: ever changeable, colorful, thick, thin, tall, short, warm, absent or mismatched and still acceptable.
I am the sound of waves lapping at the shore – soft and gentle or crashing violently, sometimes hardly moving at all. Then I am the sound of silence.
I am my office where my bookshelves beckon me to read, my desk beckons me to work, and my computer connects me with the world.
I am the smell of coffee, the only compensation to rising at 4:30 to make room for what I want to do before the day presents its must-do’s.
(I have to copy Susan here. I can imagine nothing more special than the chair where I rocked my babies.)
I am a dabbler with more hobbies and interests than hours in the day.
I am popcorn: enticingly aromatic, delightfully crunchy, and worthy of special events.
I am warm sunshine taking the chill from winter, encouraging flowers in spring.
I am memory-challenged, a maker of lists and a wanderer from room to room wondering what I was about to do.
I am living my days to accomplish the dream that my children will grow up to be satisfied that they tried their hardest and achieved their goals.
ellie
(Unfortunately, my free time vanishes today. I might not be able to write again, but will be reading and learning.)
Okay, I love that you got sucked into it all. hahaha.
This is wonderful but my absolute favorite is this line:
I am socks: ever changeable, colorful, thick, thin, tall, short, warm, absent or mismatched and still acceptable.
We’ll be here for you when you have some time again. Be well.
Anne, I found your post when I went to submit mine. How funny that we both mention dolphins, the ocean and sunshine.
ellie
Hi, Susan.
This is a great prompt to use with middle and high schoolers. I just finished co-judging a teen poetry contest sponsored by our local library. Top prize ($$ and publication!) went to an “I am” poem.
Glad you think it’s a good prompt too, Laura. (Always love that validation – hahaha)
Very cool on that winning poem.
Another great post, Susan. I can see that the “I am” approach could be even more accessible than the “Where I’m From…” – such great poems come out of these kinds of prompts. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for visiting, Robyn.
I can see how this would not only lead to a poem, but also perhaps a more compassionate self-image.
With some of my students, it has helped them look at themselves a little differently. I can remember one where a kid realized that he was okay the way he was and you could just see it in his eyes.
“I am the gardener of my life”
Love that.
I think it needs to be plucked out
transplanted
and grown into its own poem.
I think you might be right, Mary Lee.
Very fun and a great “jumping off” exercise, too. I can easily see a next step being to take one favorite line, to follow the “I” phrase with a “you” phrase that goes with it, and . . . voila! A gift poem!!
ooh, Janet, I love the idea of a gift poem. I’m going to add that to my bag of tricks. Thank you.
My students do great “Where I’m From” poems, but I think they would love this too. I’ll have to try it!
Hope it works for you too, Ruth. I think with the population I work with, many of my students don’t want to remember where they came from.