Memories

Excerpted from
The List Poem:
A Guide to Teaching and Writing Catalog Verse
(Teachers & Writers, 1991)
by Larry Fagin

Joe Brainard's I Remember is a minor classic, a book-length list of memories, in no particular order, usually averaging a sentence or two each, about growing up in 1950s America. Here is a collaged sampling:

I remember the only time I ever saw my mother cry. I was eating apricot pie.

I remember how much I used to stutter.

I remember the first time I saw television. Lucille Ball was taking ballet lessons.

I remember Aunt Cleora who lived in Hollywood. Every year for Christmas she sent my brother and me a joint present of one book.

I remember a very poor boy who had to wear his sister's blouses to school.

I remember shower curtains with angel fish on them.

I remember  very old people when  I was very young. Their houses smelled funny.

I remember daydreams of being a singer all alone on a big stage with no scenery, just one spotlight on me, singing my heart out, and moving my audience to total tears of love and affection.

I remember waking up somewhere once and there was a horse staring me in the face.

I remember saying "thank you" in reply to "thank you" and then the other person doesn't know what to say.

I remember how embarrassed I was when other children cried.

I remember one very hot summer day I put ice cubes in my aquarium and all the fish died.

I remember laundromats at night all lit up with nobody in them. I remember opening jars  that nobody else could open.

I remember not understanding why people on the other side of the world didn't fall off

I remember winning a Peter Pan Coloring Contest and getting a free pass to the movies for a year.

I remember bongo drums.

I remember candles in wine bottles

I remember putting on suntan oil and having the sun go away.

I remember jumping off the front porch head first onto the corner of a brick. I remember being able to see nothing but gushing red blood. This is one of the first things I remember. And I have a scar to prove it.

Here is a topic on which the writer-child or adult-is always a bona fide expert: your own life, what you remember of it. Of course, the ability or talent to remember varies greatly from person to person. Some details are fuzzy; others snap into focus. The classroom atmosphere may induce lucid recollections for certain students and interfere with the process for others. Some of us need to be alone, in a tranquil setting, in order for memory to function efficiently, although reading or listening to the remembrances of friends or classmates will often jog our own memories. Young writers who draw an occasional blank or even suffer from temporary amnesia might turn to Mom or Dad or a family photo album for help in remembering all kinds of things.

I often begin a residency in a school with the "I Remember" assignment. It helps develop a heightened consciousness of details­ the particulars of daily life-so important to creative writing. It gives kids a chance to record a kind of autobiography, an overview of their lives. It's also a good way to learn more about the kids and their backgrounds. Finally, it's stimulating for kids to share each other's experiences, to notice how we are simultaneously different and similar. Here are a few examples:

I remember my bird Louie who talked too much.

I remember kissing someone I thought was my mother.

I remember that when I got to my father's house in Mexico I got scared because there were fat animals that looked like monsters. They were called cows.

I remember when my brother was born. He wasn't as ugly as my sister.

I remember spitting in a lady's face at the movies. I remember eating a roach with sour cream.

I remember when I went to the beach, the blue water.

I drank the salted water.

-Michael Torres, fifth grade

 

I remember they took something out of my throat that I don’t remember the name of.

I remember when I was angry with my friend, I didn't speak to her for a month because I wanted to teach her a lesson. Then, when I tried to make friends again, she wouldn't speak to me, and we never were friends again.

I remember there was a broken oven and this boy tried to put me in there and cook me.

I remember one Christmas a fireman gave me a little moon with a wish on it.

I remember when I was getting skinny I was very proud of myself. I remember the most beautiful place in the world: Co-op City.

-Lakisha Dennis,  third grade

 

I remember the time I pushed my dog down two flights of stairs and she came running back to the top and laid on the edge so I could push her again.

I remember my first set ofWeeble Wobbles. I smashed them with a hammer.

I remember when my brother threw my underwear out the window.

It landed in a tree and the next day we found that a bird had built its nest in it.

I remember a dream about a blinking cowboy.

I remember when my mother made a blue sock for me.

I remember when my aunt said to take care of Kelly. I said, "What?" I love my family.

-Alex Wagner, fourth grade

 

I remember when I jumped in a pool and a big turtle popped out. I remember school lunch. My pizza had two staples in it.

I remember the day my cousin Paul electrocuted his fish. I never wanted to remember this again.

I remember a very special friend that I don't have any more for no reason at all.

I remember when I used to see things on my walls at night, like a baby

carriage and raccoons.

-Alexandra Fein, fourth grade

 

One way to organize the I Remember assignment is to read a few good examples and turn the kids loose to record their memories in a random fashion. Another, more deliberate method is to read examples, then set up a brainstorm sheet that organizes memories by categories. In the topics below, I’ve excerpted lines from longer poems to give examples related to the particular topic. The single lines provide a good way of looking at the internal workings of list poems.

Earliest (Preschool) Memories. Who remembers their first words or taking their first step? These events are not often remembered but rather are told to us by our parents. They become part of family folklore and are sometimes exaggerated in the telling. I used to swear that I remembered being saved from a burning crib by a fireman, but I was giving a distorted version of what my mother more accurately recalled and passed on to me: she was the "fireman" who put out a small fire in the next room. Oh, well. Some people are blessed with (or burdened by) total recall and claim to remember the day they were born.  Who’s to say they don’t? 

I remember when I was born, seeing all these ugly faces--one smiling with glasses and one that looked like a fish.

-Diane Farmaco, fourth grade

 

 I remember taking my first step and falling on my rabbit.

-Cleo White, fourth grade

 

I remember singing for the first time. It was "That's Amore."

-Gina DeLucca, fifth grade

 

I remember when I let bugs crawl up my arms.

-Anonymous, third grade

 

I remember jumping into a pool. It wasn't a pool. It was a puddle.

-Melody Pagan, third grade

 

I remember when I first knew myself

-Courtney Blenman, fifth grade

 

Family, Friends, Neighbors. Interesting or peculiar relatives, funny things about your mom or dad, sibling rivalry-all provide good material for a list poem. Neighbors could be considered a separate category. They can be nice but also nosy, or, sometimes, downright unpleasant. A certain Mr.... Cutler? Cutshaw? I can't remember. Anyway, he was an old, weird-looking guy from next door who once chased me with a rake because I rode a bike across his lawn. And just this second I remembered another neighbor, Tommy something, who was crippled and played the organ and had two huge, lazy dogs-one named Get Off the Rug and the other You Too. No kidding! Neighbors are often odd or mysterious.

 I remember when my little sister was born. My brother said that if it was a girl he was either going to run away or throw it in the garbage.

-Tina Santamaria, fourth grade

I remember giving my mother a box of raisins the day after my brother was born.

-Alex Covino, fourth grade

I remember my neighbor. He is a fool. He is my landlord.

-Monica Moralez, sixth grade

I remember when my grandmother had an operation on her feet. Day and night we were praying for her feet.

-Serena Camper, third grade

 I remember when I went to my best friend Abby's birthday and gave her a safe and had Swedish meatballs.

-Anonymous, fourth grade

 

School. Do you remember your first day in kindergarten? Did you cry? Are you still crying? What about memorable teachers (good and bad)? Formidable principals? Schoolmates-best friends, class clowns, smart kids, nerds? Who can forget school lunches? Horrendous homework? Terrifying tests? The fact that kids spend most of their waking hours in school should provide plenty of grist for the memory mill.

I remember the first time I tried to write in script. It looked like buried mountains.

-Joseph Fernandez, fifth grade 

I remember the dirtiest potatoes of my life were in the cafeteria lunch.

-Brad Barnes, sixth grade 

I remember when I tried to make the letter "K."

-Anonymous, third grade

I remember a boy in my class trying to take out his eyeball.

-Sylvia Klapheck, third grade

I remember my first day at school. I was very nervous. I bought new pencils, a new notebook, a new book bag. I love to buy new things for school. Then I went to school and realized it wasn't so bad. I met a girl but I forgot her name. She had short blond hair with blue eyes. She was a snotty little girl but she never got snotty with me. If a person asked her to pick up their pencil she would say, "Pick it up yourself!" Nobody liked her. I was the only one. The teacher was nice. Her name was Ms. Smith. She had lots of freckles and always had a smile on her face. My friend never liked the teacher. My friend never liked anybody. Well, Ms. Smith always wore a red shirt and a navy blue skirt and glasses. My friend always got snotty with Ms. Smith. But one day my friend learned her lesson because Ms. Smith put red hot sauce in her mouth.  (My friend's mother gave Ms. Smith permission.)

-Anonymous, fifth grade

 

Travel. Where have you been? What did you see and do there? Did you have any adventures? What was the food like? The landscape? The weather? What about the people-their language, dress, habits? Did you see any unusual animals? Some inner-city kids don't get too far out of their own neighborhoods, but even a trip to a local monument can yield an anecdote or two. Many students were born in foreign countries and have seen a good bit of the world. I remember (age 15) eating a banana with a knife and fork in Vienna.

 

I remember watching Niagara Falls being lit up with all different colored lights-probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. But it was too loud, much too loud. I got a headache that almost killed me.

-Janet Searcy, sixth grade

 

I remember when I first came to America. I was scared and nervous too. I couldn't find my bag with my dolls and I thought, Well that's the end of those things. Then we came onto a very big road and I was really surprised to see many thousands of Chinese people running around.

-Roberta Singh, sixth grade

 

I'll never forget when we went down south for Christmas vacation and we killed the hog, Bob. We needed more bacon and a lot of pork chops.

-Carbon  Pabon, sixth grade

 

I remember when we were in Jamaica, the ugliest thing I ever saw was something brown and strange, but when I ate it, it was good!

-Robert Johnson, fifth grade

 

I remember when I went to Maine and climbed the rocks with Brian on the beach. We saw baby eagles flying and disappearing in the atmosphere.

-Donald Downey, sixth grade

Pets. A popular topic, this may overlap with Sadness (see below). When a pet dies or is given away it is often a child's first encounter with death or loss. Most kids have dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters (or gerbils), or, occasionally, rabbits. Then there always seems to be someone with a pet tarantula or an exotic reptile. Once again, details are important. "I remember my dog" isn't enough. What breed of dog are we talking about? What color? What is its personality like?

I remember my turtle who died during his third birthday. He was my companion. I still think about him, the ole whippersnapper.

-Keenan Cooper, third grade

I remember when my finches used to sing Mozart.

-Juliet Ross, fifth grade

When I was two years old I had ten dogs and they were all thirteen years old. The next day I woke up and all of them were dead. I said, "Thank God my bird isn't dead!" The next day I woke up and the bird was dead

-April Diaz, third grade

I remember my snake. We named him Slinky but my brother called him Stinky. He was green and yellow and kind of skinny. He didn't do much. We still have him and he still doesn't do much.

-Ryan Doerr, fourth grade

I remember the pets in my house: mice, chickens, frogs, hamsters, cats, dog;, penguins, and parakeets. We are one big happy family.

-Sabine Stone, third grade

I have these woodchips from when my hamster was alive. All I have left of him are the memories, a picture, and the wood chips. The wood chips make me feel that my hamster's spirit still lives with me.

-Rob Borak, eighth grade

Toys and Clothes. Do you still have your old teddy bear? Ski sweater? G.I. Joe? Barbie? Daisy Duck feety pajamas? Some of this stuff gets handed down, some of it goes to heaven. A sub-genre of this is Pet Blanket, like the one Linus has in Peanuts. Nobody could get it away from you. You dragged it around the house until it was filthy, crusted with dried milk and goo. What color and design did it have? And you had an embarrassing name for it, too, didn't you? Blanky? Puffy? 

I had the best tap shoes. They were red. I used to put them on and tap my head off in the bathroom. Now my feet are too big for them.

-Andrea Grimaldi, eighth grade

I almost died when my mom threw away my cloth clown doll by mistake. But I had revenge! I took her earrings, a scarf, and ten dollars!

-Kim Smith, sixth grade

I remember my pet pillow. I named it Mimi. I used to drool on it every night.

-Michelle Vasquez, sixth grade

Clothes are the most important thing on my body. When I step outside I want the girls to notice me.

-Anonymous, fifth grade

I miss my pink shorts.

-Anonymous, fourth grade

Accidents. Accidents can be anything from spilling soda on the new rug to getting hit by a train or blowing up the chem lab. Were you hurt? Punished? Did you go to the hospital? Did you need stitches or an operation? Any scars? In his book on children's poetry, Moving Windows, poet Jack Collom mentions that kids' "I Re­ member" poems are often "litanies of disaster." Fascination with accidents-the more grotesque or bizarre, the better-seems to be popular. This category probably comes up most often among grade school children.

I remember when my head was coming off.

-Anonymous

I remember when I jumped down ten stairs and fell right into my friend's science experiment.

-Eric Evans, fifth grade

 I remember the time my little sister hit me on the head. There was bleeding. What accidents I've had! And I even lost this fight to my little sister! Ridiculous!!

-Kam Sim Wong, eighth grade

I remember thinking that the toaster was a bank and putting coins in the slots. My mom was almost electrocuted.

-Peter Brown, seventh grade

Happy Times. These often have to do with wonderful birthday or Christmas gifts, pleasant memories of holidays or trips, visits from favorite relatives or friends, falling in (puppy) love, winning prizes or awards (see the Proud Moments section below), or accomplishing any difficult feat. Finding-and getting to keep-a lot of money makes kids deliriously, nervously happy. To see and hold a newborn brother or sister for the first time can be a happy experience.

I remember a happy day
When my neighbors moved far away.

-Anonymous

I felt happy when I started to collect comic books. They set my imagination and mind to go wild By the time I get a couple of million I'll be an animal, happy as happy can be. I'm a happy kid

-Gene Lee Rodriguez, fourth grade

I remember catching fish. Not a big one. But it was the only one I ever got. My father was laughing. We were all laughing.

-Theresa D'-ifJy, fifth grade

I remember one day I was walking down the street going to the store. It was the hottest day of the year. I felt like I was going to faint. I walked past a window and someone threw a bucket of ice water on me. That was one of the happiest times of my life.

-Crystal Shavis, seventh grade

Sad Times. Some kids might not want to remember these, let alone write about them. For others. it can be cathartic. Be careful: a death in the family or divorce or separation of parents can be touchy subjects to write about. Less so, but still sad or bittersweet, are the death or loss of a pet, a good friend's moving away, the loss of or damage to a favorite toy, or the deterioration of the old neighbor­ hood. Sadness can be touching, even beautiful in an oblique way.

I remember when I moved away from Kings Highway and I lost my best friend, Pumpkin. We always used to do the tango. It was the saddest day of my life.

-Kenyetta Blakely, fifth grade

I remember when I wasn't picked for the softball team.

-Eshon Furby , fifth grade

I remember a lot of sadness when my fish died, my cat died, my bird died, and my snake.

-Anonymous

I remember when my parents gave my dog away to Chinese people who owned many school buses.

-Charles Totten, fourth grade

Proud Moments: taking your first step; tying your shoes all by yourself; getting a good report card; giving a speech or recital; learning to swim, to dance, to ride a bike or a horse; building an elaborate sand castle; winning a contest or a race; receiving prizes, trophies, medals. Children love to remember their accomplishments, their moments of glory. One can also be proud of what someone in one's family has achieved, or of taking part in a successful group effort.

I remember the first time my parents trusted me and gave me the key which they never gave me before.

-Mai Gee Fung, eighth grade

I remember when I won a medal for building a palace.

-Wanda Leon, third grade 

I remember when I first washed dishes, first wrote in script, ironed my own clothes. I had confidence in myself.

-Deprena Brady, fifth grade

Funny Moments. These should be firsthand accounts, not something seen on television or in the movies. Pets often do amusing things. Certain people or situations can be hilarious. Practical jokes and even some accidents can seem funny to kids, even when they are the  victims-more  "litanies of disaster."

The funniest thing that I ever saw was when my friends Kareem and Gene tried to measure water with a ruler.

-Robert Mackie, fourth grade

I remember the funniest thing that happened to my sister was when I sprayed starch in her mouth.

-Maurice Clayton, second grade

Once my sister Nixie was hitting me hard so I beat her up. She wasn't hurt a bit. Since she started it, my mother hit her, too. She cried like a baby and ran down the hall, slipped on some paper, fell on the floor, hit her hind, ran to her room, fell on her stomach, ran back, jumped on her bed and hit her head on the wall.

-Gene Lee Rodriguez, fourth grade

I have a funny kind of laugh, like squeaking mice, and people laugh when I laugh, so I laugh more.

-Valerie Nash, fifth grade

Being Frightened. Again, these should be primary experiences. I, for one, never want to hear the name Freddy Krueger again. Or Jason. Or Michael Meyers. But Frankenstein isn't real either. Accidents or Sad Times might overlap this category. Funerals can be frightening for a young person. Being robbed or almost killed is, unfortunately, not an uncommon experience for some city children. Being left alone, especially in a dark room, is perhaps our first truly frightening moment. Hearing strange noises. Going on a first date. Being chased by a weird, rake-wielding neighbor. (See also Being Lost and Dreams below.)

I remember standing by a fence looking at the window of a house and seeing a big fat yellow face pop up. My friend saw it too. We looked at each other and ran.

-Matthew Marshall, seventh grade

I remember when I went into my bedroom and saw a strange man sleeping in my bed. I got such a pain in my heart. So I went to get my big sister and when we went close to the bed I realized it was only a pile of clothes.

-Lena Sirovich, fifth grade

I remember when I saw a man kill a woman.

-Anonymous, fourth   grade

I remember being frightened by a dark shadow. It was me.

-Tony Williams, fourth grade

Being Embarrassed. Children can turn crimson in certain awkward situations that most adults would shrug off. When sharing these anecdotes about embarrassing moments, the teller often giggles along with the group. It's as though it happened to someone else. The importance is not in the particulars of the story but the fact that it's told at all. The act of telling is a release, a part of a communal activity, whereas the original experience of embarrassment was painful because it was isolating-one felt singled out.

I remember when a girl beat me in hand-wrestling.

-Edgar Lopez, fourth grade

I remember sitting in Dr. Navarre's office and a louse jumped out of my head and onto the table.

-Anonymous, fourth grade

I remember when my best friend forgot my name.

-Kezzy Lewis,  fourth grade

I've been embarrassed all my life.

-Anonymous, fifth grade

Being Lost. To a child, it's always important to know where (and who) you are. Losing one's way or feeling even temporarily abandoned can threaten the foundation of the child's world. Almost everyone, it seems, has been lost in a stadium or a big department store. Many of us have been lost-even momentarily-in a familiar neighborhood. When you're lost, you see life from a different angle-ordinary people and things you would normally overlook now seem strangely significant. 

I remember being lost at Yankee Stadium. I didn't panic. I just walked around and looked for my mom and friends. Then I sat down a while and watched the game. I remember getting hungry and I didn't have my money.  I thought to myself, "It's time to be found."

-Annalise Fremont, seventh grade

I remember when we lost my brother at Waldbaum's. So when I was looking for him, I got lost. My dad got lost too. So we were all lost.

-Troy Brady, fifth grade 

Losing Things: another threat to the order of one's personal universe. Depending on the value of what's lost, the experience can be worrisome or irritating, even frightening, ultimately saddening. Was it ever found? Were you able to replace it? Do you miss it still? Perhaps worst of all is to lose something precious that you borrowed from a friend or-still worse-from someone you don't know well.

I remember the time I thought I lost my silver bangle and looked everywhere, then the next day I found out Denise took it but when I asked her she said she couldn't find it. Then we all started looking for it but we couldn't find it. Then I just gave up and told Denise that I'd never speak to her again and hate her all my life. Then about a week later my mother was vacuuming and found it under the couch.

-Scarlett Hernandez, eighth grade

I've lost stuff all my life because I have to share a small room with my stupid brother and sister. I've lost stuff for my hair. I've lost socks, shirts, panties, and nightgowns. I even lost my church notebook and I'm having a test this week on everything I learned. I know I'm in trouble.

-Vanessa Nieves, sixth grade

Dreams. This potentially rich topic can stand on its own as a basis for a list poem, apart from the "I Remember" assignment. Kids tend to limit their memories of their dreams to nightmares only. This can be exciting but, just as often, cliché-ridden, peopled with stock characters (again, Freddy, Jason, et al). We mustn't neglect funny dreams, happy dreams, sad dreams, and weird (though not necessarily frightening) dreams. Daydreams count, too. A related subject is Imaginary Friends. It makes no difference if the dream is embellished, exaggerated, or even completely invented in the writing. The results can  be just  as  valid,  both  psychologically   and  artistically,  as  an accurate  recollection  of a dream.

I remember a dream about being in a telephone booth and it started shaking. Suddenly it grew wings. It flew up and dropped me into a giant cherry, raspberry, and blueberry pie. I swam around in the juice, then I was hungry. I ate and ate my way out of the pie. Then I slowly melted into dust.

-Roseanna Ramraj, sixth grade

I remember my imaginary friend Wilber. He was a little fuzzy thing. He would get me into trouble. I used to step on him.

-Miles Price,   fifth grade

I dreamed I was washing a snake so my grandma could cook it. I ate a piece and it was wiggling in my stomach. When I woke up my thumb was in my mouth. I took it out fut.

-Kishea Carter, fifth grade

•

Though it may seem elaborate, a brainstorm sheet of these categories, besides helping the children sort out their memories, introduces a basic principle of organization-breaking down a large subject into smaller components. We discuss each category, read examples, talk about personal memories. The teacher will, I hope, talk about her own experiences-anything of interest will do, though being embarrassed is probably the most popular topic. I ripped the seat of my pants on my first date.

Once the children finish their brainstorm sheets, they write their drafts. What category to begin with? No particular order is best. Memory should have a chance to flit about on its own. Certain areas will receive more attention than others. Not all categories apply to every student; you can't write about a pet if you've never owned one. Can't remember something? Skip it and go to a different topic.

Details are essential. Better write too much than too little:

I remember my trip to Florida is not enough.

I remember my trip to Florida. I tried to feed my baloney sandwich to the alligators and one almost took my arm off is a little better. "Baloney" helps. "There was a beautiful orange sunset with flamingoes and my sister had the mumps" would add color and variety.

I usually take home the students' drafts, select my favorite lines

(everybody gets at least one), and collage them into one big I Remember, which I then read to the class.

I remember when I was little and I had a pink wall. There was paint lying around and I drew a picture of a smiley face in green.

I remember when I was on my uncle's farm all alone and every single animal got loose.

I remember when my brothers left home for college.

I remember when my friend told a boy I liked him and I was standing right there.

I remember my dog Patches who always drilled holes in the lawn looking for bones.

I remember my father in a dream yelling for no reason.

I remember a dream of being eaten by a puppet.

I remember when I first saw water in my life.

I remember when we went to the hospital because I couldn't drink.

I remember when I forgot my lines in a kindergarten play.

I remember the first time I went out on our boat and I only put one engine in gear and we spun around in circles.

I remember when I pretended that my pillow was a flying saucer and

I fell down the stairs.

I remember the night of my play and Paul lost his mustache.

I remember the living dead.

I remember when I had a dream about two men that put a machine in a woman's ear, and then when they took it out they put a song on and some worms came out of the woman's face. Then the two men saw a man and grabbed him and took him to a studio and made him look at a TV, then the song started to sing and a lot of worms came out of his face and a lot of other people died because the song came on the TV and it took their eyes off and shook their legs off:

I  remember when I was over at my grandma's house and I was riding my bicycle with my eyes closed and when I opened them I was lost.

I remember a day at my great aunt's when her friend came over. I was staring at her hair. I went to touch it and it fell over

I remember  I started sweating and then I squeaked

I remember riding a bike and I wasn't able to turn. My whole insides turned over.

I remember a dream where my mother slammed the car door on my foot and it came off. When I woke up my foot was hanging off the side of the bed

I remember a dream that a stick of butter was trying to kill me. (I was two inches tall.)

I remember when I got my first national touring road show-Annie.

I remember when I got lost in Italy.

I remember when I ran away from home and got lost and wouldn't go back until my parents came looking for me. I packed an enormous suitcase with all my stuff and could hardly carry it.

I remember when I went upstate to a dance there was a man that everyone called the "chicken man" because he had spikey hair, a funny looking nose, no sweat glands, weird looking hands, and he was really short.

I remember I lost my teddy bear Scooter with the string on his head I remember a dream about my whole life. I saw what I looked like when I was older--my job, my house, etc.

I remember when I got my first coin and now my collection is worth $18,000.

I remember when I was in the first grade and was taking out a book and I made a puddle at my socks.

I remember when I cut my leg open with the point of a compass (mathematical)  and then had to walk  15 blocks to my house in agony.

I remember my bird that was squeezed in my sister's hands.

I remember when my father threw away my blanket. I remember when I slept till two in the afternoon.

I remember when a friend of the family died. I was alone in the house and just finished taking a shower. The lights were out. As I walked in the room the shade flew up.

I remember climbing a pyramid in Mexico and not being brave enough to go back down.

I remember slipping and having my feet dangle over the side of the Grand Canyon.

I remember last New Year's Eve when me and my friend drank about two packs each of Coke.

I remember all the Christmases of my life.

I remember I was milking our cow Dopey and got sprayed with manure.

I remember playing ping pong with a retarded boy and losing.

I remember when the President read my letter to him in front of Congress after he was shot.

I remember my birds. First one bird flew out of the window and hit the top of a lady's umbrella. My other bird died of old age. I cried for days because I'm the only child and I used to talk to the birds.

I remember the boring hospital. I really liked bothering people in their rooms. I would take off their IV's and run.

I remember my dream about being lost in Central Park. I tripped and landed in another dimension. It was Central Park in the 1800s. I saw Sir Isaac Newton under the apple tree. When the apple was about to fall I caught it and we started floating up in the air.

Feathers was my pet bird. She was a chick. My little brat nephew squeezed her stomach and she died. We just threw her in the garbage.

I remember getting punished for an hour. When I came out of my room I was punished for two hours. After that I was punished for seven hours. Then I sneaked out my window. When I came back I was really punished.

I remember learning to stand up. I would always practice under a table and every time I stood up I bumped my head and cried.

I remember my Silly Putty walking away.

I remember watching a movie through a hurricane. I remember when I mangled a boy.

I remember when I was four months old in my crib eating Ritz crackers with no teeth!

I remember when I was reaching up for my pinwheel on a windowsill and I slipped and the  top of a Sesame Street playhouse went through  my armpit.

I remember my boring trip to Taiwan with all the relatives  I was supposed to remember but didn't.

I remember when I quit the viola. What a happy day!

I remember wearing feet pajamas and having a dream that my mom got her head stuck in the car seat and the windshield wipers started to chase me around and when I woke my pajamas were all twisted up and my legs were moving like windshield wipers.

I remember catching leaves as they flew in the fall.

I remember a dark midnight, April 21, 1972. I was born.

The teacher who makes a collage of kids' memories becomes, in effect, a writing partner or collaborator. Such a procedure guarantees a broad variety of details, as in a Whitman catalog, and the lines can be arranged for maximum rhythmic or dramatic effect. Students are usually fascinated by this type of group autobiography. But of course individual I Remember list poems can also stand quite well on their own.