I Am From: An Ode to the Telluride House by Emily Lawsin

04 Apr I Am From: An Ode to the Telluride House by Emily Lawsin

A 10-minute Free-Writing Poetry Workshop with Telluride & GEAR-UP Ypsilanti

© by Emily P. Lawsin

I am from

The paneled library with its George Nelson lamps

Warmed by the grand piano next door, and eclectic books donated from graduating seniors;

An army of stubborn ants crawling up the first floor restroom’s drain,

The dining hall with endless food and drinks

And boisterous but intelligent conversations,

With 25 harmonious voices from all over the world.

 

I am from

The mosaic-tiled fire pit where my preschooler Tula blows bubbles,

Bike racks, bike stacks, and tight-angled parking spaces,

The dumpster that’s 10 feet taller than me

Whose hidden window I did not find until after two months of living here.

 

I am from

The corner of Cambridge and Washtenaw,

Kids sledding across the street in Crary Park,

Snow drifts and splashed rain from the #4 bus,

Crab apples, apple blossoms, and the land of a thousand trees.

 

I am from

Lucien L.L. Nunn, whoever that really is,

Deep Springs that I have never seen,

Shannon and Peg, office staff extraordinaire,

Houseman Rick and Diane,

Chefs Debra and Jack,

K.A.s you could not forget: Jason, Sarah, and Jennifer.

I am from PubSpeaks, FacForums, R-Com, Log-Com, O-Com, Entertainment Com, IAC,

And everything else in between.

 

I am from

Meatloaf and Kobe Burgers on Comfort Food Sundays,

Made-to-order Avalon Bread sandwiches on Fridays,

Weekend brunches of thick sliced bacon and maple link sausages,

The Sysco delivery truck and Frog’s Fresh Produce always,

And all the Kellogg’s cereal and Pop-Tarts anyone could possibly want.

 

I am from

Our messy 3rd Floor Faculty Suite and the pristine 1st floor fire place,

The Basement Game Room, with its I-Pod enabled Treadmill,

The 2nd Floor Computer Lab, with its blessed scanner.

 

I am from

The brilliant T-Riders that I will always remember and will forever miss.

I am from the Michigan Branch of Telluride.

 

April 17, 2010 – Ann Arbor

 

Emily P. Lawsin is National Vice President of the Filipino American National Historical Society, co-founder of the Detroit Asian Youth Project, and co-author of Filipino Women in Detroit, 1945-1955. Originally from “SHE-attle”, Washington, for more than 20 years, she taught Oral History, Filipino American, and Asian American Studies in California, Massachusetts, and at the University of Michigan. An oral historian and spoken word performance poet since 1990, she has appeared on radio and stage throughout the United States and Manila.  She was a Faculty Guest at the Michigan Branch from 2009-2010.

https://emilylawsin.com

https://lsa.umich.edu/ac/people/faculty/elawsin.html