Dear Ancestor

Today we walked where others walked
on a lonely , windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
for loved ones whose lives are stilled

Today our hearts were touched
by graves of tiny babies
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In the heartbreak of the ages

Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time
Lying under the trees and clouds
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.

Today we wondered about a unmarked spot
Who lies beneath this hallowed ground?
Was it a babe, child, young or old?
No indication could be found

Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay
We had been here once before
On a day we'd like to forget
But will remember forever more

Today we recorded for Kith and Kin
the graves of ancestors past
To be preserves for generations hence
a record we hope will last

Cherish it my friend; preserve it, my friend
For stones sometimes crumble to dust
and generations of folks yet to come
will be grateful for your trust.

By: Thelma Green Reagan

Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished marble stone
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn

You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh and blood and bone
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own

Dear Ancestor..the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so
I wonder how you lived and loved
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot
And come to visit you.

Author Unknown