美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Where I'm From': A Crowdsourced Poem That Collects Your Memories Of Home

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Poets In Chairs Sipping¹ Tea. I just invented that.

KWAME ALEXANDER: And I'm Kwame Alexander, and I like that title...

MARTIN: You do?

ALEXANDER: ...But, you know, we kind of need a proper name for our segment, something literary and cool.

MARTIN: Literary cool with a little - maybe a little British bent² to it. Maybe not sitting in chairs sipping tea but something, right? Because...

ALEXANDER: Right. Right.

MARTIN: ...You're in London for a little while, roaming, writing. How's it going over there?

ALEXANDER: Rachel, the food is delicious. The theater is electrifying³. The buses and the tube are crazy convenient. My job is sweet. My colleagues are fascinating. But I haven't found a barber yet.

MARTIN: I mean, it's radio, so people don't necessarily know this, but you don't have a lot of hair, we should just say.

ALEXANDER: Shape up and shave, Rachel. It takes a lot of work to look fly for radio. But in the meantime, in between time, when we would last together...

MARTIN: Yeah.

ALEXANDER: ...We asked listeners to write a "Where I'm From" poem.

MARTIN: Right. So you were supposed to do this "Where I'm From," drawing on all five senses, sharing your own remembrances and using those memories of the people and places you came from to craft a poem.

ALEXANDER: We had close to 1,400 submissions⁴. How cool is that?

MARTIN: Super cool. I'm so glad so many people were inspired by this. You then took all of those works and you compiled them into another MORNING EDITION community poem. And I can't wait to hear it.

ALEXANDER: I can't wait to share it. It's pretty magnificent.

MARTIN: All right. So before we do so, before we unveil the masterpiece, I've got a little surprise for you about how this all unfolded. You want to hear it?

ALEXANDER: What? I love surprises.

MARTIN: I know you do.

ALEXANDER: OK. I'm sitting down.

MARTIN: Remember the excerpt⁵ that we shared as an example for our listeners?

ALEXANDER: Yep. We shared the original, the first ever "Where I'm From" poem, which was written by Appalachian poet George Ella Lyon.

MARTIN: Right. OK. So check this out. Listen to the phone message we got.

GEORGE ELLA LYON: This is George Ella Lyon. I was amazed and delighted to hear you read part of "Where I'm From" on MORNING EDITION. I love that you invited listeners to write their own poems and send them in. My poem, written in 1993, was inspired by a poem of Jo Carson's. Her poem took off from something she heard somebody say. So "Where I'm From" has been a pass-it-on phenomenon from the get-go. Here's to the power of poetry and place and to the voices in all of us that long to be heard.

ALEXANDER: My mind is officially blown. My writerly world is rocked.

MARTIN: Isn't that amazing? It was very thoughtful. It was so cool that she took the time to call in like that. She even recited a poem, which is on the NPR website. Everyone should go check it out.

ALEXANDER: George Ella Lyon is listening to us, Rachel. I mean, now I hope this community poem I've culled⁶ together is good, that it honors her brilliance⁷.

MARTIN: I'm sure it will. But let's read it. Are you ready?

ALEXANDER: I am.

MARTIN: OK. This is how it starts. (Reading) I am from travelers and adventure, from be seen, not heard, from ritual and plainsong, from England and exile, from mint sauce and lamb.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) I am from casseroles and canned tuna, Kennedys and Saturday morning cartoons. I am from Tang in a Daffy Duck glass, from wall phones with mangled⁸ cords stretched during private calls in a room too far. I come from popcorn⁹ ceilings, dining rooms of glossy¹⁰ mahogany.

MARTIN: (Reading) I am from bed sheets draped over our dining room chairs, from the trees littering the backyard, the sweet taste of mulberry staining my fingers red. I'm from big hats under rainbow umbrellas, buckets of wet sand and unstable¹¹ castles. I'm from orange and vanilla¹² custard with a pizza slice the size of your chest, from hot July days and cool summer nights. I'm from Sunday night pizza and Monday Night Football.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) I am from marbles, from empanadas cooking on the street. I am from orchids¹³ and mango trees. I am from la torta tres leches and ruana. I am from happy and serious, from hard work and sweat.

MARTIN: (Reading) I am from grit¹⁴, respect and discipline, from big family reunions and endless laughs. I'm from houses never locked, from the projects in Brooklyn and dominoes in the park. I am from salsa and the car horns blaring.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) I am from diners and malls and accents that put an aw in coffee, from silky lingerie and sweat socks, bruised¹⁵ knuckles¹⁶ and scars I gave myself from longing¹⁷ to be someone somewhere else. I am from a mother who was still a girl whose beauty kept her shy. I am from dirt and fences, from strength and toughness.

MARTIN: (Reading) I am from ashes flicked¹⁸ into the tray, the despair of divorce, bonds gone, unappreciated, eviction¹⁹ and being thrown away, running and begging to stay. I am from a little girl who just needed a break.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) I am from a time when my mother went to the hospital and never came back, when my toys were in a box by the curb²⁰ as we drove away. I am from singing in the darkness of night, putting myself to sleep with the sound of my own voice.

MARTIN: (Reading) I am from playing backyard baseball with tennis balls, Wiffle balls, even roundish gourds²¹, from weekend sleepovers, from orange push-ups, from fallen leaves kicked up in swirls²² on walks to school, from early morning radio announcements of a snow day - no school.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) I am from the South and the North, from immigrant grandparents and Civil War soldiers. I am from the red dirt clay of Virginia, from the sounds of the fiddle²³ to the beauty of a choir²⁴, from the jig²⁵ and the reel to the cloggers and the dancers, from collard greens and fat back, chitterlings and white bread. I'm from hymns²⁶ learned on Sundays, hypocrisy²⁷ displayed on Mondays.

MARTIN: (Reading) I am from Tom Petty and baby oil in the hot sun, rye bread and salami. I am from black cows, tacos, bicycles and the gentle lure²⁸ of crickets.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) I am from James Brown and Santana, from groovin' on a Sunday afternoon and "Crystal Blue Persuasion²⁹."

MARTIN: (Reading) I am from endless steps, from California and Texas and Durango, Colo., from unknown ancestors of the ancient Southwest, cliff-dwellers and puebloans. I am from the earth.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) From cityscapes and sleepy suburbs, from cicada clicks and fireflies sparks, from the call of books and breathing through struggles. I am from you.

MARTIN: (Reading) And you are from me. We are love.

ALEXANDER: (Reading) We are home. We are from this day forward.

MARTIN: That was a good one, my friend. That was a good one.

ALEXANDER: It was. It was beautiful.

MARTIN: Yeah. It always makes you feel better about the - I don't know. I'm speaking for myself, but it makes me feel better about what's to come when you're grounded in what happened and where you came from.

ALEXANDER: Absolutely. Our listeners have just reminded us that remembering those things that matter, they help us move forward.

MARTIN: OK. So we're back where we started. We need a name for our segment.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: Poets Sipping Tea - Rachel, Kwame. I don't know.

ALEXANDER: We can't just call it The Rachel And Kwame Show?

MARTIN: I don't know. Maybe. This is where we ask for your help again. We'd love your suggestions. So if you have some inspiration as to what we should call our regular gatherings³⁰ here of poetry and words, send us your suggestions.

ALEXANDER: Yes. Send it write away - W-R-I-T-E. See what I did there?

MARTIN: Oh, you're so clever. Kwame Alexander, he's a regular contributor to MORNING EDITION and the inaugural³¹ innovator³² in residence at the American School in London. I love saying that. It makes it so fancy.

ALEXANDER: I love hearing it.

MARTIN: Good luck finding that barber.

ALEXANDER: Thank you. Cheers.

MARTIN: Cheers.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHRISTIAN³³ SCOTT ATUNDE ADJUAH FEAT³⁴. ELENA PINDERHUGHES' "COMPLETELY")

1 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 electrifying   

v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The dancers gave an electrifying performance. 舞蹈演员们的表演激动人心。
• The national orchestra gave an electrifying performance of classic music. 国家交响乐团举行了一次古典音乐的震撼性演出。 来自辞典例句

4 submissions   

n.提交( submission的名词复数 )；屈从；归顺；向法官或陪审团提出的意见或论据

参考例句：

• The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter 1994. 递交参赛申请的截止时间为1994年的复活节。 来自辞典例句
• Section 556(d) allows the agency to substitute written submissions for oral direct testimony in rulemaking. 第五百五十六条第（四）款准允行政机关在规则制定中用书面提交材料替代口头的直接证言。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

5 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

6 culled   

v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The herd must be culled. 必须有选择地杀掉部分牧畜。 来自辞典例句
• The facts were culled from various sources. 这些事实是从各方收集到的。 来自辞典例句

7 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

8 mangled   

vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• His hand was mangled in the machine. 他的手卷到机器里轧烂了。
• He was off work because he'd mangled his hand in a machine. 他没上班，因为他的手给机器严重压伤了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 popcorn   

n.爆米花

参考例句：

• I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时，喜欢吃爆米花。
• He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后，嘴里塞满了爆米花。

10 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

11 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

12 vanilla   

n.香子兰，香草

参考例句：

• He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
• I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。

13 orchids   

n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She breeds orchids in her greenhouse. 她在温室里培育兰花。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

15 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

16 knuckles   

n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝

参考例句：

• He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
• Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

18 flicked   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
• I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。

19 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

20 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

21 gourds   

n.葫芦( gourd的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Dried gourds are sometimes used as ornaments. 干葫芦有时用作饰品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The villagers use gourds for holding water. 村民们用葫芦盛水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 swirls   

n.旋转( swirl的名词复数 )；卷状物；漩涡；尘旋v.旋转，打旋( swirl的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Swirls of smoke rose through the trees. 树林中升起盘旋的青烟。 来自辞典例句
• On reaching the southeast corner of Himalaya-Tibet, It'swirls cyclonically across the Yunnan Plateau. 在到达喜马拉雅--西藏高原东南角处，它作气旋性转向越过云南高原。 来自辞典例句

23 fiddle   

n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动

参考例句：

• She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
• Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。

24 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

25 jig   

n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳

参考例句：

• I went mad with joy and danced a little jig.我欣喜若狂，跳了几步吉格舞。
• He piped a jig so that we could dance.他用笛子吹奏格舞曲好让我们跳舞。

26 hymns   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At first, they played the hymns and marches familiar to them. 起初他们只吹奏自己熟悉的赞美诗和进行曲。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• I like singing hymns. 我喜欢唱圣歌。 来自辞典例句

27 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

28 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

29 persuasion   

n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

参考例句：

• He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
• After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。

30 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

31 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

32 innovator   

n.改革者；创新者

参考例句：

• The young technical innovator didn't lose heart though the new system was not yet brought into a workable condition. 尽管这种新方法尚未达到切实可行的状况，这位青年技术革新者也没有泄气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Caesar planned vast projects and emerged as a great innovator. 恺撒制定了庞大的革新计划。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史

33 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

34 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。