"This Is Where It Begins" is a poem by Merlinda Bobis, a Filipino-Australian writer. The poem celebrates the power of storytelling and ancestral languages to connect Asian-Australians to their family and cultural heritage. Bobis writes about how stories told by her parents and grandparents in languages such as Bikol, Pilipino, and English are deeply embedded in her identity—"under my skin." The poem explores themes of cultural connection, identity, and the legacy of storytelling passed through generations. It vividly illustrates how stories create personal and communal history, symbolized by the metaphor "the umbilical cord restored," emphasizing storytelling as a means to unite people across time and cultures. Bobis reflects on her childhood confusion blending reality and imagination in these stories, as well as the hybrid nature of her cultural identity due to migration. The poem serves as a tribute to ancestors and the enduring impact of oral traditions on identity formation.
Following the system reminder, here is the poem phrase with foreign words highlighted: [this is where it begins merlinda bobis] does not contain foreign words itself, but the poem connects with ancestral languages Bikol, Pilipino, and English in its themes. If required, I can provide excerpts with those languages encased in the […](javascript:void(0)) tags on request.
