Were I'm From by Felicia Madlock

Martin Luther King & Malcolm X

We choose the poem “Were I’m From” by Felicia Madlock. The poem discusses African American women and events throughout history like her heritage, freedom, music, America and growth in the person she has become. All the little occurrences that an African American Woman experienced growing up in the 60s, 70s and 80s. She has experienced much in her life and most has deep root in African American Culture.  She talks about good times and hard times, deep historical events, and little memories like “I am from Double Dutch days When Mary Mack was dressed in Black” which some would think would not be as important but she brings it into context with everything. The poem channels different moments of her life, almost like a timeline of her memories and heritage. It starts off with  "I am from Malcolm X memories and Martin Luther King's dreams” then she goes on to describe moments of her childhood like Capital punishment in schools, “from Double Dutch Days” to “pigtails to perms”. In these lines from the poem it shows transformation and growth in her persona. 

Children playing Double Dutch

The poem “Were I’m From” by Felicia Madlock is a beautifully written piece that uses repetition, historical timeline events, personal memories from every day life to connect with the reader on different levels. Anyone reading the poem will be able to connect to the experiences Felicia Madlock talks about making the poem more personal to anyone. By the use of repatition she shows the readers that she comes from a long line of history but still today has not forgotten where she has come from. She ends the poems by sharing things she has become personal moments  like “I am from lovers goodbyes” , friends she will never forget and the last line ends with “I am from..”. By ending it this way she gives the reader thinking imagine where they are truly from.

We chose the poem Were I'm From as a catalyst for our own exploration on a place-based theme poem.

We are from OU

We are from Ohio University
Where we party hard

 but study even harder,

Even on Green Beer Day.

We are a tightknit community

in a country setting.

          We are from brick streets

                          With endless hills to climb.

WE are from a place of

Beautiful scenery

and very hot libraries.

We are the bobcat nation

  and WE are from OU.