by Roxy Triebel
treebz65@hotmail.com

Ancestor Hunting

by Dorothy Emily Van Kleeck Smith

Sometimes I think it's all in vain
This long, long search for great-grandpa's name
I search thru bibles, wills, and deeds
And musty old books by the hundreds read.

In old cemeteries, covered with briars,
Over stone walls and under barbed wires
As I peer at tombstones with neck outstretched
I know folks think I must be "tetched".

Calling on folks I think might be kin
In hopes that some family yarns they can spin,
I find that most memories aren't too clear
Of things and folks of yesteryear.

At every auction, you can see
ME checking books on bended knee
At rummage sales I pick and dig
Through nameless treasures small and big.

Great-Great-Grandpa, it's a shame
No one thought to write your name
Someplace so someone just like me
Could put it on our family tree.

This book I've started, God be willing
Some future kin will keep on filling
And find the folks that I have missed
And future generations - LIST!

They won't have to hunt for ME
I'm hanging on the family tree.

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