A POEM FOR THURSDAY

This poem was written for an 11th grade AP Language and Composition class recently. I thought it was lovely, and I wanted to share it with you.

Where I'm From: A Tribute to Ancestry

I am from hard work and sacrifice
I'm from penniless jars
from the Dust Bowl and sorrow
tinted with strength and good works.

I am from pioneer handcarts
and cold winter nights
from the exotic frontier
from the struggle for life.

I am from loud booming cannons
and harsh cries of war
from sweet independence
for liberty and God.

I am from swift sailing ships
fueled by powerful words,
from dear hopes and desires
for Reformation and love.

I'm from bagpipes and dancing
I'm from bloodshed of love.
I'm from tongues I can't speak
but whose stories I know.

I don't know these people
and they don't know me
But they lived and they died
For the cause that I'd be.

-Rebecca Terry, 2015