Ancestors
They
speak to us through wills,
And
birth certificates, journals
And
marriage licenses,
To
tell us what they did and how they lived,
Of
how they fought in wars and revolutions,
Or
stayed at home and raised
Their
crops of corn and children
As
we search and find the documents
That
tell of great events and small,
Our
eyes of love clothe these words
On
dry and dusty paper with living flesh.
On
imagination’s stage they dart about
With
the burning energy of youth,
Or
limp along on tired legs
Of
pioneers who near their journey’s end.
I
knew you not, but now I know you.
Your
blood is mine, your struggles gave me life.
Had
you not been, I would not be.
And
as I resurrect the past
Through
microfilm, CD and book,
I
only pray that some day one will say
Of
me, I knew him not, but I am proud
To
have his genes within, making me
A
little bit like him.
2005 Robert E.
Field