Ancestors

Art: Slow Diver by J.Planet

Ancestors

The time of remembrance draws nigh

My mind turns toward family

Never understood if that meant blood

Or those who adopted me in my infancy

Almost like opposing rays united at the point, me

Born to a woman who lived

Somewhere in the state of Washington

Gave me up to the County of Los Angeles

Before I took my first breath of life

Fathered by a man of unknown identity

My ancestors of blood, my nature, are plentiful

Many of whom I’ll never learn their names

Traced mother’s paternity back from Iowa to Delaware 

Maternity from Washington to Germany

And nearly all places in between

Ancestors of my home, my nurture

My “real” family according to Mom

My ancestor of happenstance

Came from Poland and Ireland

The English countryside and the American Plains

I feel their presence in my life

Whether I met them or not

Pieces of my personal puzzle

The landscape of experiences

Culminating in this life before you

We are all woven together through space and time

Matter and energy used and used again

Evolving into the unknown and unknowable

Dependent upon the here and now

And what forever shall be

My children would not be

Without those who came before

My gratitude is boundless

No matter how they behavior rankles

Can only change the future

Someday I shall be the one remembered

As others are in this place and time

Already ancestor to my children

Most of this life exists in history

Preparing for the next as I write

I write this for those who come later
Wonder in their eyes and heart
On their way to their own tomorrow
I light a candle for them on this autumn night
And wish them joy in their existence

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm some stages of our life a profoundly felt arnen't they ...ones history and tracing back can be important at one time and not so much at another ..especially as you point out the influences of those not of blood that mold us day to day ... i especially like your closing .. as your speaker looks ahead to leave ancestral stories for children in the future .. so important to pass on our stories ;) these lines speak to me in particular:
"We are all woven together through space and time
Matter and energy used and used again" ...sensitive and perceptive line of thought and wisdom says i!
E.

[Paul Bell]

I think we all want to belong. It's just a human necessity to know ones roots.
But you're right. The presence of your ancestors run through your veins. Just as they'll run through your children's veins.

[Drowning In Reality]

Thank you for for sharing your thoughts.