Pages

▼

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Divergent Yet Intersecting

Both ReadWritePoem and Totally Optional Prompts have weekly writing prompts - both with a deadline of Thursday. The creative juices still have a tendency to flow even while on vacation.

This week's prompt at ReadWritePoem was Go Ancestral, which wasn't specific enough for me, since I think and write about my ancestry often. I needed a secondary prompt, which Totally Optional Prompts provided: Opposites.

Divergent Yet Intersecting

Transylvania, Holland, Alsace, Poland,
England, Germany, Lithuania and Texas
all contain soil upon which ancestors dwelt;
Farmers, beekeepers, shepherds,
tailors, blacksmiths, salesmen,
clergy, judges, and doctors.

As I research ancestral lines I discover
some ancestors celebrated Hanuka,
others Christmas, and still others
the Green Corn Ceremony;
Jewish, Methodist Episcopalian,
Puritan, Christian Scientist, Mennonite,
Choctaw, and Cherokee.

I shall never find the records
for my distant ancestors
who either came to this continent
by crossing the Land Bridge,
or originally emerged
from the Nanih Waiya in Mississippi.

I delve through obituaries,
microfilm depositories,
internet databases;
I interview relatives,
and rummage through attics.

What I find doesn't alter who I am;
It illuminates the divergent,
yet still intersecting
paths of my ancestors.

10 comments:

  1. Rachel GreenDecember 25, 2008 at 2:57 AM

    Fascinating piece. Thank you for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. gautami tripathyDecember 25, 2008 at 10:32 AM

    It works.

    symmetry in poetry or what?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 25, 2008 at 11:06 AM

    I like the stanza about the land bridge. I didn't know about "Nanih Waiya" but looked it up, so you taught me something too. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  4. Linda JacobsDecember 25, 2008 at 9:02 PM

    I like all the specifics in here! and you are right; it doesn't change who we are.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Philip ThriftDecember 25, 2008 at 10:49 PM

    If Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are eighth cousins, then all things are possible!

    ReplyDelete
  6. anthonynorthDecember 26, 2008 at 3:22 AM

    The interweaving web of our ancestors can be a sobering and comforting thing.
    I like the way you captured this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. little wing writerDecember 26, 2008 at 5:01 PM

    it is a beautiful journey of life i have often thought abt...

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousDecember 27, 2008 at 6:54 PM

    Hello!
    I like the idea of the "divergent/ yet still intersecting/paths."
    I can see the lines they left, crisscrossing the world.

    I "added" myself to your followers list...your entries look quite interesting!
    ~Angie

    ReplyDelete
  9. DebDecember 27, 2008 at 8:57 PM

    Nice concept to interweave the many distant lives, claim them and yet release, too. I like it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Raven's Wing PoetryDecember 28, 2008 at 9:54 AM

    I like this whole poem...I especially like the line about the land bridge. Some of my ancestors came over that way too. Fascinating.

    -Nicole

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments. If you don't have an account to 'sign in' with you can still comment by selecting 'Name/URL' (if you want your name on the comment) or 'anonymous.' The 'URL' field is optional.

Note: Your comment will not appear immediately, as all comments are moderated.