Diversity is a topic that has been on my mind lately, which is perfect timing since it's the theme of our annual Poetry Anthology.  One of the things I love about my job is the diverse nature of the individuals I serve.  I've gotten a bunch of new referrals lately; many from cultures I am only rudimentarily familiar with.  So, I've been doing a lot of research to ensure I account for these individuals cultural heritage and beliefs when providing services.  

I recently attended a continuing education class on diversity, and one of the exercises we did is a perfect jump-off point for exploring the theme of our poetry anthology.  We explored our own culture and identity and how they can potentially impact the services we provide.   We were asked to write a series of statements starting with the phrase "I am from".  These are some of the lines I came up with: 

I am from identifying birds from description while seated cross-legged on the floor

I am from snow angels and snow forts and ice skating in the back yard

I am from dirty hands and beautiful flowers

I am from curling up in the closet surrounded by my favorite books

I am from riding my bike until the streetlights came on

I really enjoyed reading what others contributed, and while this isn't a complete poem, it has the potential to be.  Some people (like me) chose to feature elements from their childhood, while others chose to write more current lines, or even relate them to geography.  Feel free to share your own "I am from" statements in the comment section, or maybe even craft them into a poem to feature in the anthology.  I will be working on expanding these lines into something more cohesive and plan on including it in my own anthology submission.