Bio Poetry

Dedicated to anyone who has ever had to let go of a place so intrinsically tied to their existence that doing so felt like giving up a piece of yourself.  

are simple biographical poems that follow a predictable pattern.  The first that moved me were from Mary Pipher's The Middle of Everywhere which begins with her own but gathers those of refugees whose complex experiences are eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and humbling.  They utilize a similar pattern to George Ella Lyon's "Where I'm From", but any pattern can be created for a similar effect.  Look for it in these:

"Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon 

There's a Place by S.M.(M).L.

There's a place
     where you're from
that makes you
     who you become.
This place made you
     Brave,
     diving into cold
     water off the piling.
This place made you
     Beautiful,
     reflecting surface
     twinkles at depths below.
This place made you
     Creative,
     building sand castles
     anything imaginable.
This place made you
     Adventurous,
     climbing over mountains
     hunt huckleberries hidden.
This place made you
     Joyful,
     letting your body 
     go laughing and bouncing.
This place made you
     Kindred,
     talking hours always
     room to sit and just swing.
There's a place
     you've become.
None of that 
     can ever be undone.

     

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