They ask me where I'm from
and I open my mouth
and out spills the street where I learned to ride a bike
and the country my mother still dreams in
and the city where my father became American
and the kitchen where my grandmother taught me
that food is how we say *I love you*
when the language isn't there.
They want a short answer.
A single word.
A country or a city with clean borders.
But I am not a single word.
I am a sentence.
A long one.
With clauses.
I am from everywhere my people had to leave
and everywhere they chose to stay
and everywhere in between.
Ask me again.
I'll tell you all of it.
After Reading — Comprehension Checkpoint
Summarize What You Read
Summarize What You Read
In your own words, summarize the poem you just read. Include the main idea and key images.
Think about:
• What is the speaker describing when they open their mouth?
• What do they mean when they say they are "a sentence" and not "a single word"?
• What is the speaker's message about identity?
Name: _________________________________ Date: ________________ Class: ________________