Back Then
I try not to be
that boring elder, speaking
only of ”back then”
until there is a rolling of the eyes
and whispers
“There she goes again.”
With so few left
to share the memories
of those dear folks of slight renown,
they will be lost to
time and mystery
unless I write them down.
I regret the unasked questions
of the one grandma left alive
for me to love and know.
I could have listened to her stories
and retold to my children
tales of the long ago.
Names written in
the family Bible
are all we know of some
of these long gone ancestors.
What traits of his came down to me?
My double jointed thumb?
So this is why my poems
and narratives
are mostly written of the past.
I am trying to preserve
family history and
make memories that last.
4/26/11
For Paula's contest "When"
Copyright © Joyce Johnson | Year Posted 2011
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