Thursday, April 27, 2006

Where I'm From

Thanks to Quiltgranny for getting me started on the Where I'm From trip down memory lane. Try it yourself! At first it was difficult, but I ended up with far more recollections than I could ever use.


Where I'm From

I am from white Keds, and new $1 flip-flops every June.
I am from a house built on low land with a septic tank that filled up and toilets that belched every time there was a downpour. I thought 'Bubble, bubble, toilet trouble' was how the quote was supposed to go.

I am from Friday night pork chops, painted with Dad's homemade bbq sauce and grilled on the patio.

I am from Mom constantly telling us "Clean your plate!" and "Don't slam the screen door!" and contests with the fly-swatter to splat the ones that came in through the holes in the screen.

I'm from parents who believed kids should go to scout meetings on Tuesday, the library Saturday, and church on Sunday. We got Perfect Attendance yearly at school unless we'd been quarantined.

I'm from a rural childhood, with watermelons grown on the compost pile, homemade grape juice from our own tough-skinned grapes, and prickly crookneck squash, gathered while the cold dew soaked your sneaker-toes.

I am from summer camps in the forest shade. I am canoeing lessons and repetitive songs at campfires. Then teamwork-trained and prepared for grown-upness by sweaty summers of herding around my own cabins of grubby campers.

I am black and white pictures from a Brownie camera, turned golden with time.

4 comments:

Finn said...

This is really neat Jane, I'm loving reading everyones. Across the years, so many of us, have so much in common in where we are from...despite the miles..*VBS* Thanks for sharing yours, Hugs, Finn

Ann said...

Cool! Now the "poet" from long ago is yearning to break free again! Maybe I'll give it a shot.

YankeeQuilter said...

Thanks for sharing! I'm conducting a workshop on working in America and one of the activities I've asked them to do is to define an amercian...I feel like I could just take what you've written and they would have a good start!
Sio

Quiltgranny said...

It's been a while since I've made my circuit of blogs - and I am delighted to see your poem. I love it - and don't you just love how you *feel* when you are done? Something special comes out of you, for sure! And the Brownie camera line is supreme!

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