I'm Karin and I like Carrot Colored Kayaks

Where I’m From

I am from Honeycombs,
from muffins with peanut butter and raspberry jam.
I am from the silt sand that lies next to the Russian River.
(Soft, hot, light, infiltrating everywhere).
I am from the hydrangea bush,
And the red berry bush whose
Leaves would absorb our soccer and baseballs.

I am from cold cookie dough and kinky fuzzy hair,
From Yolanda and Vernon.
I’m from the heart of stone and
The gets lost in a paper bag.
From it’s the price you pay for being a jock
to put on some make-up.
I am from pellet guns, exploding apples
Ball tag, king (queen) of the raft.

I’m from Trinity and Baldwin.
Mashed potatoes and cold Coca Cola.
From the carpenter hands of my grandfather
The red hair my mom hopes will appear in the next generation.
In our attic is a hope chest,
Dripping old pictures.
A slew of past times and faces,
To laugh and remember.
I am the culmination of those moments.

So today was the first day of the writing fellowship. The above is my rendition of a poem by George Ella Lyon. It was a great first day, and I feel genuinely inspired...which is good because there are many more days ahead of me. The title was a name game we played where you had to come up with an alliteration on your name of things you liked. I think it helped everyone remember me because I am wearing an orange shirt today.

Keep coming back as I plan to post my daily writings here in the afternoon...