Where I’m From

The following is a multimodal poem remixing George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” for MSTU 5002: Culture, Media, & Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. If you’re interested, you can read my reflections here.

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I’m from hand-painted sheets
thrown over PVC frames.
From costumes
questionably fastened to
quavery frames and voices
finding themselves
for the first few times.

I’m from the cult of Rube Goldberg,
nuts, bolts,
knots, lashes
—and minor lacerations,
hidden under damp sleeves
in damper basements.

**

I’m from who/what/where/why
‘cause when matters less for a monthly.
I’m from pica spaces and double trucks,
and eye strain from
late-night layout sessions.

I’m from jam sessions
cut not short enough
by parents who are
saints but not gluttons
for punishment.

**

I’m from giant monitors
when that meant
your advisor meant business.
From bathtub lab apparatus and
hoping against hope
to extend that damn debugger.

I’m from trip the light fantastic and
unleash The Hacker Within,
From ill-advised cups of coffee
and swearing off Microsoft Word.

**

I’m from amateur hour
drowning, floundering,
faithfully, gratefully.
I’m from nerds
making mousetraps—
not better,
but ours.

YouTube video screenshot

Funny story …

I was at Bier Baron in Washington last night, celebrating the birthday of a friend of mine who routinely hosts a theology pub there (it’s probably my favorite bar in Washington, because it reminds me of places like this).

It was a typical Washington social gathering, in that I met like half a dozen super-impressive people who do really interesting things (online journalism in particular: Exhibit A, Exhibit B).

Amid all those fascinating conversations, I could see across the room someone I dimly recognized. I was pretty sure I hadn’t met him through the people I knew at this gathering (this turned out to be only partially true), but that only got me so far.

I finally realized with a laugh and then a sigh (because: church geek—me, not him) how I recognized this guy. I knew him from this (not 100% work-safe) video, which I believe was actually shot by the other person whose birthday we were celebrating (someone correct me if I’m wrong about that):

It was kinda like meeting a celebrity, at least in the strange online world I inhabit. And I’m glad we connected, because Erik’s involved in some interesting communities here in town.

Here’s to beer, birthdays, and the, uh, stuff seminarians say.

Addendum: So, actually, the other birthday boy’s video is here: