To My Ancestors

Why do I yearn to learn about all of my Ancestors?

Because I carry a small part of each of them around with me everyday,

Together they make up the sum of my DNA.

So I search for them,

When I first started to look,

I searched in Libraries and Courthouses,

Thumbing through many a book,

When were you born and where you were from?

These are mysteries,

To be discovered by reading many interesting histories,

Now there is the Internet,

And with a click of the mouse,

I can bring you into my house,

I also had my DNA tested,

To try and learn where you might have rested,

What hardships and triumphs did you incur in your life?

Was it filled with sorrow and strife?

Or were you one of the lucky few,

That prospered and grew,

For those of you that made the long and arduous journey,

Across the open sea,

Was it all you thought it would be?

The decision to come to a new land,

Whether by choice or necessity,

The sacrifices you must have endured,

Has not gone unnoticed,

Although you were once known,

But all to soon forgotten,

It is my hope that I can find you once again,

And lift you up off the dark and dusty pages of obscurity,

And share your life’s lessons, triumphs and defeats to others,

Who now enjoy the freedoms and comforts,

That would not have been if not for all of you.

By

James W. Morrison