As we continue to work on our Where I’m From poems, I continue to look for examples to share to spark students’ creativity. Fortunately, there are many poems out there that fall into this category. I found a lovely one in Cool Salsa:
Where You From?
by Gina ValdésSoy de aquí
y soy de allá
from here
and from there
born in L.A.
del otro lado
y de éste
crecí en L.A.
y en Ensenada
my mouth
still tastes
of naranjas
con chile
soy del sur
y del norte
crecí zurda
y norteada
cruzando fron
teras crossing
San Andreas
Tartamuda
Y mareada
where you from?
soy de aquí
y soy de allá
I didn’t build
this border
that halts me
the word fron
tera splits
on my tongue
I can’t wait to share this one with my students. I love “cruzando fron/teras crossing” it wraps so nicely. And, of course, “I didn’t build/this border/that halts me/the word fron/tera splits/on my tongue.” Nice.
Beautiful poem, poema bello. It jumps out at you, it has life of its own. It moves, it tells, it bites. Esta bueno y gracias por ponerlo en el web.
Thanks for finding your way to my site, Mike. Glad you liked the poem. It has become a favorite of mine.