Donna Puglisi
Cape Canaveral Branch
They came from the shores of foreign lands to a new world, a new life.
Their dreams are our dreams.
These are our ancestors.
I stare at the old faded pictures of my ancestors in jagged frames,
wondering who they were in younger years.
Who did you love on a summer day?
Where did you go as a child at play?
Now, your faces are a ghostly hue,
Frozen in time, I don’t know you.
Each tiny stitch,
Life’s thoughts, words and deeds,
Through the years you’ve threaded your lives,
with satins, silks and tweeds.
Embroidered in rich tapestry, a diary of your life,
How did you meet your loved one,
becoming man and wife?
Finest lace frames grandma’s face,
Rough hewn, her burlap years;
Did you cry on your pillow at night,
then wash away your tears?
Hopes and dreams line the seams with promises yet kept,
Young girl’s loves and broken hearts,
Stained velvet where you wept.
Bright colors blending here and there with laughter, love and friends,
Am I like you in any way? The pattern never ends.
We are all a part of them,
They are the blood flowing through our veins;
We blend as one, from those faraway lands,
Our ancestors belong to all of us.
Rebellious, rugged, raw,
Beautiful in simplicity.
Faces burned like summer’s grass, craggy and rough as the majestic mountains. Rough temperament, resilient as the boundless hills of wheat.
Respect them.
They are our ancestors.
A suitcase frayed and soiled,
Hopeful, adventurous heart.
The peddler and the farmer,
Seeking a fresh new start.
Calloused hands of a blacksmith,
Old country’s mud and dirt still clinging to the tattered hem
of a woman’s long black skirt.
Ragged suits, scuffed shoes adorn the staunch and sturdy,
Weary travelers in stormy seas,
They are our families.
We are all brothers and sisters, sharing the same timeless legacies
Of our ancestors.
I am a genealogist. I love the visual images that you created in “Ancestors.”
Thanks so much for that comment! It’s especially an honor coming from a genealogist!
Love, for all the reasons above!
Diana, thank you! Love is eternal!!
Poignant. Touching sentiment I feel.
Karen, that means the world to me! Thank you!
SOME PWERFUL STUFF HERE.
GREAT JOB.
Barb, thank you for your comment! Our ancestors are the reason we’re all here, and that’s powerful enough!
Bravo! Donna’s poem “Ancestors” is magical in memory that touches us all: brothers and sisters.
I love you, JoAnna! You truly are my sister!
I love your reference to our ancestors and the love and respect of all that came before us. And this is a land of immigrants, all of us, to love and respect. Perhaps you know where this might head, but I will leave politics out and just say thank you for your lovely poem!
Patricia, thank you for that wonderful reference to love and respect! We are all a beautiful blend of our ancestors!