1. Sam Jones<br />Honors- Lit.<br />Period 1<br />“Where I’m From” Poem- Time Traveler<br />11-20-10<br />The “Peoples of the Felt Tent”<br />I’m from the first cavalry, <br />From strong military might,<br />And an empire covering Asia.<br />From fighting for land and goods,<br />Valuing life.<br />I’m from great leaders,<br />Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.<br />From a small people,<br />Who conquered the empires of the world.<br />I’m from felt tents,<br />Called Yurts,<br />I’m from nomadic people, <br />Moving constantly.<br />I’m from the Asian Steppes,<br />From paper money,<br />“White food” and “Brown food”,<br />From caftans and Buddhism.<br />I’m from a sprawling empire,<br />The largest ever on land,<br />With the Silk Road connecting<br />Beijing and Constantinople.<br />I’m from the spreading of the Black Death, <br />The Black Plague,<br />Through the stretching paths of trade.<br />I’m from the creation of germ warfare.<br />I’m from battle,<br />Combating the cold, leading invasions,<br />From Xi Xia to Caffa.<br />Fighting, expanding<br />Was daily life.<br />I’m from being outnumbered,<br />But faster, more mobile <br />Than my enemy.<br />From strategies and weapons, <br />That won fight after fight.<br />I’m from nomads,<br />Battle and war,<br />From a massive empire, <br />And lengthy trade routes.<br />I am the people of the felt tents,<br />The Mongols.<br /> <br />