Blog #2: Where I'm From
I am from Humboldt County.
I am from a special place
many have heard the name,
but few have seen firsthand.
I grew up in a small town
where everyone knew your name.
From five years old
and on through adulthood
we grew and learned together,
one family with many last names.
I am from a beautiful place,
one way you can find redwood trees,
another an ocean or lake.
A land with great mountains,
and incredible views.
New territory to explore,
not only for the traveling through,
but a local as well.
I am from the ma and pop shops,
the businesses of our neighbors,
supporting one another to keep a thriving culture.
We do what we can
with limited means,
a days drive to the large city
we don't care.
I am from a place I will always cherish,
memories galore.
My first and forever home,
I will always visit to reminisce.
I am from a place I love,
but a place I have outgrown.
A Little Bit of Analysis:
In creating my poem I began by of course reading through Lyon's poem a few times to really understand it and develop a plan for my own poem. In each stanza Lyon described something about where they were from. Ranging from a settings description to a family tree. I decided to describe a couple things about where I'm from and develop an overall theme. My theme is growing up in a small town and an area with beautiful natural wonders. I focused on describing what makes the place great for people who love to be outdoors and feel a since of community throughout the whole town. I grew up in a unique place and I think my poem shines light on that.
There were some details I wanted to include but ultimately decided not to because I wanted to follow the simplistic approach that Lyon took. I definitely focused on the positive things about Humboldt because after growing up there and adoring the place, I think it is my responsibility to promote it as a wonderful place to visit or live. Sometimes you may see Humboldt portrayed in only one way for example in the documentary on Netflix "Murder Mountain", the documentary does not highlight anything positive about Humboldt and it portrays it as something entirely different than the experience I have had living there. I think there is some ugly to be found in all places, but in my opinion the beautiful parts can outweigh the ugly. I feel the final product is perfect and exactly what I wanted it to be.
I am from a special place
many have heard the name,
but few have seen firsthand.
I grew up in a small town
where everyone knew your name.
From five years old
and on through adulthood
we grew and learned together,
one family with many last names.
I am from a beautiful place,
one way you can find redwood trees,
another an ocean or lake.
A land with great mountains,
and incredible views.
New territory to explore,
not only for the traveling through,
but a local as well.
I am from the ma and pop shops,
the businesses of our neighbors,
supporting one another to keep a thriving culture.
We do what we can
with limited means,
a days drive to the large city
we don't care.
I am from a place I will always cherish,
memories galore.
My first and forever home,
I will always visit to reminisce.
I am from a place I love,
but a place I have outgrown.
A Little Bit of Analysis:
In creating my poem I began by of course reading through Lyon's poem a few times to really understand it and develop a plan for my own poem. In each stanza Lyon described something about where they were from. Ranging from a settings description to a family tree. I decided to describe a couple things about where I'm from and develop an overall theme. My theme is growing up in a small town and an area with beautiful natural wonders. I focused on describing what makes the place great for people who love to be outdoors and feel a since of community throughout the whole town. I grew up in a unique place and I think my poem shines light on that.
There were some details I wanted to include but ultimately decided not to because I wanted to follow the simplistic approach that Lyon took. I definitely focused on the positive things about Humboldt because after growing up there and adoring the place, I think it is my responsibility to promote it as a wonderful place to visit or live. Sometimes you may see Humboldt portrayed in only one way for example in the documentary on Netflix "Murder Mountain", the documentary does not highlight anything positive about Humboldt and it portrays it as something entirely different than the experience I have had living there. I think there is some ugly to be found in all places, but in my opinion the beautiful parts can outweigh the ugly. I feel the final product is perfect and exactly what I wanted it to be.
Hello Holly!
ReplyDeleteYour love and admiration for your home town definitely shines through in this poem. This poem accomplishes your goal of highlighting the amazing qualities of the area, unlike its portrayal in the media. My favorite stanza was the "ma and pop shops" one. Many poem highlight the beauty of nature, which you also do in this poem, but this focuses on the community. It paints the picture of genuine human connection in contrast to a big metropolitan area where most people are simply a face in a crowd. The "one family with many last names" line demonstrates how your community was so tight knit that it felt like family. The poem does not directly describe you as a child but the themes and topic show how growing up here impacted what you value.
Hi Holly!
ReplyDeleteI too grew up in small, rural town where most people knew each other by name! While I have never been to Humboldt County you did an excellent job of describing the setting and painting a picture of the close-knit community. "Ma and pop shops" are also big in my hometown, and it was very comforting to read that you liked the culture that comes with a more family oriented style of business, because this is definitely something that we miss out on now living in a city like San Diego. You did a great job of showing us where you are from and not just telling, I especially like the "first and forever home" line because it displays the significance of the place you grew up in your life even after moving away.
Through reading your poem I can easily see that we come from very different settings when we were growing up. You acknowledge your small town upbringing, while life in the city is the only thing I've ever known. You ended your poem by suggesting that you outgrew that small town setting, and while I cannot relate to the life in a small town, I do not think I could ever leave San Diego. Being able to know or at least recognize everyone in your town is something I cannot fathom really either. I find the contrast between your life in Northern California and mine in Southern California is really interesting and speaks volumes about just how much our state has to offer. I thought your analysis was interesting too because you spoke about how Humboldt county has gotten a lot of negative press so you tried to keep yours positive. -Kevin W
ReplyDeleteHey Holly, I really enjoyed your poem and thought it was written very well. I can relate to a lot of the things you talked about, like growing up in a small town. I had never heard of Humboldt County but you did a great job describing it, and I now feel I have a sense of what the town is like. I like how you included the 'ma and pop shops', while talking about the sense of community in your town. This did a great job of painting a picture of how close-knit everyone in Humboldt is (I assume). I also liked how you described the great memories you have there, which you will always cherish, despite feeling that you have outgrown your hometown. I feel the same way about where I grew up; I will always love the memories I made there and the friends that I grew up with, but feel that I have outgrown the small bubble that my town is. Thanks for sharing
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