Tuesday, November 3, 2009

I am From . . .

Sherri over at Sherri Tales had a blog post about 'I am from' poems.
I liked it so much that I wrote one, and I plan to write more.

Now, first of all, I am not a poet. I like to write poems and have written many, but most of mine are rhyming poems, which seem to be out of favor now a days. I wrote this poem yesterday and took it to our writer's group meeting last night. We have two members who are very good poets. Max, one of the poets, told me this was a "keeper." This meant a lot to me coming from someone who is very good at writing poetry.

I Am From Appalachia
by Janet F. Smart

I am from Appalachia,
from hills and hollows
and Grandma's front porch
with quilt covered gliders
cotton soft and squeaky.

I am from dirt roads
rutted from cars
that rumble past and
leave billowing clouds of dust
to scatter in the breeze.

I am from summer vegetable gardens
plowed in early spring
with Uncle Romey's horses,
whose long manes and straight rows
flow behind them.

I am from thorny blackberry patches
spread over hillsides
and gnarled grapevines hanging from trees
waiting for eager young hands
to grab hold and swing.

I am from close knit families
living in houses built by
strong hands and loving hearts
and cousins playing in yards perfumed
with the scent of roses and lilac bushes.

I am from time gone by
when fireflies dotted
dark country skies and
families left their doors open
for a visit from a night breeze.

I am from Appalachia
and I dwell in the shadows
of the rugged hills
where I walk in footsteps
left by my ancestors.

Well, that's it.

I've come to a decision as to what I am going to do in the near future.
I am going to continue writing my column for Two - Lane Livin' magazine (I love doing this) and I am going to send out my picture books to publishers. While I am waiting for an answer from the publishers, I am going to work on writing our family history. I think I will write these type of poems about different aspects of my family and include them in the family history manuscript.

Writing my family history is one of the things that got me started writing. I have learned a lot in the past two years and I want to continue where I left off.

13 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful poem, Janet. I could visualize so many things from your short snippets of description. Good luck writing your family history.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that sounds like my kinda place to live.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Janet this is AWESOME. As Forest Gump said best, you and me are like peas and carrots!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janet, this is beautifully composed and paints a very detailed picture! You should take a bow!

    Just because something is 'out of favor', doesn't mean you avoid doing it. As a matter of fact, it means the exact opposite to me. Many people don't write poetry with rhyme and meter because they can't. I hope you continue to march to the beat of your own drum. You have a lot of talent.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very enjoyable read. You are very creative and talented. Thank you for visiting my blog regarding the candle holder and good for you for figuring out what it was made from.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the poem. Tipper wrote one similar awhile back. I still haven't. Thanks for reminding me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Janet,
    This is a wonderful poem about "where you're from!" I just love the poem and I relate very much to it. Great Job!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really like your poem, very descriptive. I just recently discovered your blog. I hope to read more.

    ReplyDelete
  9. absolutely gorgeous! I am big fan of Appalachia. I graduated from ASU and would love to go back and live on the tennessee/NC border.

    You should pop over and sub to my freeverse poetry contest. Your poet friend Max should, too! :)

    you could win a Nikki Grimes book. :)

    peace,
    Donna

    http://wordwranglernc.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, Janet! I had chills as I read your SUPERB "I Am From----" I would like to us it on my blog sometime.YOU are a beautiful writer! Wow!
    Sheryl

    ReplyDelete
  11. I thank all of you for your very nice comments. I don't feel I deserve them, but I appreciate each and every one of them and. . . I appreciate all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Janet,

    You did a terrific job. I did this some time ago. It was so much fun. I have to provide a writing exercise for our group on December 28th and I think this is what I'm going to do. Thank for reminding me about it.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Janet! I re-posted the "I Am From..." piece by Marilyn Cram Donahue. YOUR "I Am From Appalachia" is so beautiful. Would you allow me to include it at the end of my post as a superb example?
    Sheryl

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments. I love comments!