Uncle Don Stainbrook with poetess, December 1958
Poem written for and submitted to "1426 Bio Poetry Contest," Brian Strand, sponsor, November 16, 2025.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ granite roots gripping Pennsylvania-Dutch shale taught me Schicksal, spun our bloodlines into compass stars~ Stärke whispered through his fractured Fraktur tales ******************************* Schicksal = German for (fate/destiny); reflects language teaching with genealogical purpose Stärke = strength in German Fraktur = a stylized, highly decorative watercolor or watercolor-and-ink painting in the Pennsylvania-German tradition, often bearing elaborate calligraphy and standardized motifs, as birds, tulips, mermaids, and unicorns, and typically appearing on a book page, baptismal certificate or other family record, or merchant's advertisement. (Source: dictionary.com)
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