Peripeteia

You can use this poem to write your own poem in the style of Dean Atta's beautiful identity poem.

For teachers, use this exercise to encourage pupils to make the connection between poetry and self-expression.

I come from by Dean Atta

I come from shepherd’s pie and Sunday roast,
jerk chicken and stuffed vine leaves.
I come from travelling through my taste buds but loving where I live.

I come from a home that some would call broken.
I come from D.I.Y. that never got done.
I come from waiting by the phone for him to call.

I come from waving the white flag to loneliness.
I come from the rainbow flag and the union jack.
I come from a British passport and an ever-ready suitcase.

I come from jet fuel and fresh coconut water.
I come from crossing oceans to find myself.
I come from deep issues and shallow solutions.

I come from a limited vocabulary but an unrestricted imagination.
I come from a decent education and a marvellous mother.
I come from being given permission to dream but choosing to wake up instead.

I come from wherever I lay my head.
I come from unanswered questions and unread books,
unnoticed effort and undelivered apologies and thanks.

I come from who I trust and who I have left.
I come from last year and last year and I don’t notice how I’ve changed.
I come from looking in the mirror and looking online to find myself.

I come from stories, myths, legends and folk tales.
I come from lullabies and pop songs, Hip Hop and poetry.
I come from griots, grandmothers and her-story tellers.

I come from published words and strangers’ smiles.
I come from my own pen but I see people torn apart like paper,
each a story or poem that never made it into a book.