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center for writing | minnesota writing project | mwp invitational summer institute | institute fellows 2017

Chundra Cobbin

©2017

I Am from

Modeled after the Poem “Raised by Women” by Kelly Norman Ellis

I was raised by a
Thumb sucking
Always cuddling
Jaundice and asthma having
Chipotle loving
“My mom can cook cereal”1
Type of son

A glasses wearing
Favorite color is the green ‘cause it’s the color of money
Big brown eyes staring
Nail gnawing
“Can I grow some dreads like my dad?”
Kind of son

A video game binging
Youtube obsessing
Stay googling everything
Pokemon catching
“Mom I need a hot glue gun to make a phone case.”
Type of boy

A book devouring
Black History month show stealing
Straight “A” earning
Geeky or is it nerdy 2
Saxophone blasting
School play narrating
“Do you know there are kids who are actually smarter than me?”
Type of son

I was raised by my son-shine

1.This is a reference to a time when Jonathan was defending my honor when my friends were claiming that I could not cook. His come back to them was, “My mom can cook cereal.”
2. This is a debate that Jonathan and his friends often have about the difference between being nerds and geeks.