Best Family Tree Poems
As I climb my family tree, each distinct leaf touches me with life's beauty.
(written 12/7/15 for Silent One's One Liners Three Contest)
As each year passes and comes and goes
The family tree grows and grows
The more you nurture, the more care
The less likely you will become rare
Roots are formed and the cycle continues
and gives new life to carry on
Water feed and nurture you tree
All of this love for the family
The message is clear for all to see
Look after your family tree
The tree is here then and now
Its only love that will show us how
They stand in cottonfields of snowy white
The faded, black and white of my grandparents..
Smiling as though everything were alright.
Cotton sacks hung low down to the ground,
As the depression came calling,
Twas the way of life...
Those first thick, blury, color pictures of mom and dad
From those old peel away Polaroid cameras made,
Of the very first brand new car they ever bought..
A baby blue Chev wagon..
I wonder now..what they thought? :-)
Their dirty kids holding stringers of slimy fish
Proudly displaying today's big catch
Shiny bright new pictures of grandkids with phones
Who look with wonderment...
At the pictures of cottonfields of snow
Donna Jones
10-5-2013
Young and sprouting like a twig,
Branches to come to observe when big.
From roots of parent trees long ago,
The families begin to grow.
Siblings blossom from the branch I'm on,
With cousin branches a-blooming along.
Memorable times with them together
Seem to end as life changes like the weather.
Branches separate to a new direction,
With a mate for a branch of creation.
Some family removed as the Lord hath planned,
From our tree to place in His hands.
Over my shoulder, my children branching out,
I was getting older, for sure, no doubt.
A desire to keep the tree from falling apart,
As branches get higher, a reunion must start.
So happy inside as family branches attend,
A tree's gentle glide swaying in the wind.
I'll be happy knowing when I leave the tree,
It'll keep growing--the Branches of Family!
Florence McMillian (Flo)
Explorin' the branches of the family tree can be rather dicey.
Some ancestors could be famous, humdrum er downright spicy!
With bated breath I decided to take the risk and check around.
I wasn't all that enthralled about some of the dudes that I found!
Seems that in the distant past a member of my family strain,
Was a notorious pirate maraudin' the boundless Spanish Main!
Another was a nefarious cattle rustler ever on the vamoose,
'Til a posse tracked him down and left him danglin' from a noose!
One forebear, a scoundrel who specialized in robbin' trains,
Was ensconced fer life in a cozy cell, detained in clankin' chains!
A rowdy ancestor caused a ruckus in a Cripple Creek saloon;
The high sheriff done him in one fateful August afternoon!
My lineage included a business lady of whom I proudly spoke,
'Til it was revealed she was a soiled dove, dismayin' this poor bloke!
My great-grandpa was caught dispensin' jugs of potent 'shine!
Revenooers busted him resultin' in a term in jail and a hefty fine!
A distant uncle was a goon in a notorious gangster mob.
He met his Maker heistin' a bank they were tryin' to rob!
I proffered a prayer as I examined my tragic family tree:
"Lord, may a sturdy twig adorn this tree and let it begin with me!"
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(c) All Rights Reserved
Entry for Judy Konos' "Relatives" Contest
Our family tree will never stop growing…our faith and comfort will never crumble
Love grows here…so have no fear—God is near
My family, though packed up with pride and low self-esteem, still appears humble
Mirth produces joy and our hope gives birth to cheer
God is our Father; who could play this role as skillfully? Who, other than God, created the world so genuinely?
Love comes from He…so scare away the anxiety—God will grant us ecstasy
My family, though packed up with hope and despair, cherishes my soul with glee
Rebirth and life comes from He and our faith should draw near to thee
"i love you sweet boy..we will have fun this summer and be a close and godly family..nighty nit my light"
This summer, I am positive that we will be a close and godly family
But we must be lights of the world…and we must be willing to finish that race of hardships to earn His dignity
By all means, we will have an enjoyable break without paying a fee
But we must be God’s faithful followers…and we must be prepared to follow our Shepherd who is the key
Of never-ending faith and comfort, nourishing us abundantly
He still exists…He unravels the insanity
Of this world and set us free from blasphemy
Watching over us with pure vitality
Give us Your water
Don’t leave us in the gutter
Listen to the words we mutter
I pray that our family tree will look up to you devotedly
An Egyptian I never could be,
but since reading of their history,
in limerick form
I now write to inform
my friends of the Gods’ family tree.
From “Waters of Chaos” came Nun,
the only God under the sun.
The first piece of ground
rose up as a mound.
Hun stood there and coughed up a son!
Hun spat out the God of Air, Shu,
and he spat out a cute goddess too.
Tefnut was her name.
Moisture was her fame.
She and Shu beget children - two!
Their son was named Geb; the girl, Nut.
I’m not sure how to say her name, but
I sure like to say
Goddess Sky’s name the way
that rhymes with the famous King Tut.
When he laughed, the son Geb, “God of Earth,”
made the earth shake beneath his great girth.
I think Geb is busy
in modern days, for he
quakes often, for he’s fond of mirth!
For the tale to proceed, there ensued
some more incest, and not to be crude,
Nut, the Goddess of Sky,
got it on with the guy,
King of Earth, and they had a big brood.
There came forth from their coupling,
Queen Isis and a new Earth King,
Osiris, who was
a good king because
he ruled all rebirth, a great thing!
One son, against harmony, came
to kill Osiris, and his name
was Seth; once again
like the story of Cain -
an envious brother to blame.
But Seth got his just desserts when,
having married his Mom Isis, then
he was killed by HIS son,
named Horus, who won
the throne, and so “good” ruled again.
From Seshat to Sekmet to Rah,
Gods were worshipped by ancients with awe.
You’d have worshipped them too
had you been born to do
your poems on papyrus. Ha ha.
My family is the world to me. my family is a lovely tree.
--a tree with many branches, a tree that will take many chances.
a tree of hope; that will always be my support. a tree that will disagree, but always remain a
family. a tree that will grow stronger as the years grow longer. i will always be a part of that
family tree. until i see the limbs break free. a family that prays together will stay together.
my family will be by my side as i take big strides. my family will be there when no one else
will cares. thank god for my family, for without them, we are twigs standing alone.
The Family Tree
The Family Tree has arm, that stretch out far and wide,
From each arm stems a legacy, which can never be denied,
Also affixed, are veined leaves, with DNA inside!
Tab labels index the status, of ones’ lineage,
Relationships, births and deaths, all captured in the images,
With heredity from Mom and Dad, adding to the percentages!
The trunk supports the body, of the Family Tree,
Its’ strong base houses layers, each one with its own beauty,
A pillar of strength on display, a sight for all to see!
There’s knowledge, skills and wisdom, deep inside its roots,
Nourished by culture and history, of it ancestral fruits,
And at the top of the Family Tree, sits the Patriarch all astute!
Written By: Sarita A. Milliner © 12/12/15
"Like branches of a rooted, sturdy tree
a family survives, each limb entwined."
__by Poet
Huge fragmented spaces fill my mind
and heart with unbalances that sadden my world-
for as I gaze upon those branches- I now find
the truth they show, as time passed by has unfurled.
The fruit upon this old tree-
one time was sweet and lush as it could be;
but, forever staying firm as such- is not a guarantee.
Oh, family tree, when I was young, we'd all share
thriving on these varied branches- bound with care;
now just your names are there.
Your beings- once whole with life- rest in death confined.
Now fragmented spaces full of memories I do keep impearled.
Extended family, long ago, loved me-
Grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts; my love- still declare.
July 14, 2021
~1st Place~
Contest: Writing Prompt - Fragmented Spaces
Sponsor: Constance La France
Jusfws: 08/13/2021
The perfect place is full of laughter
hopes and dreams while poeple get happier
At the top of as hill is an apple tree
on one of the branches is a wooden swin
From top to bottom
a mudslide you'll see
into a pond with frogs and with geese
It's crystal clear blue with a border of green
with lilly pads and ducks happily swimming
Green fields of flowers cover the land
Marigolds, Roses, Lillies and aren't they grand
the land is bordered by forests with animals and trees
monkey's, gorrilla's, kangaroo's, and chimpanzee's
Up in the biggest tree of them all there is a home
Of a family not big nor small
My family tree grew Mount Calvary
As my heavenly Father looked on, they crucified his only son
They pierced his side and his precious blood began to flow
In the shadow of the cross my family tree began to grow
He adopted me as one of his own and made me heir to a kingdom
that someday I will call home
Even now I am beginning to see the Father in me
His royal blood now flows through my veins,
For I’m a blood bought child of the king
Now each time I trace my family tree it always leads me
back to Mount Calvary.
a thriving ploom in the garden of life
waving in the cool breezes overhanging a cliff
roots embedded in the continent of Africa
branching into Europe, Asia and the Americas
through misguided uncompromising fallacies
some of my branches have lost their leaves in the canopies
my beautiful human fruit have become so rotten
to show any taste of love between themselves forbidden
consequently they’ve become shrivelled and dry
self condemned to die...why?
I’ve been through many-a-forest fires
that have wiped out entire species when times were dire
perhaps I’ve grown too tall for my own branches
because war prunes them into their own dark dug trenches
so as my tops suffocate
in the thinned poisoned undercurrent
collapsing under political instability and overpopulation
disease and lack of absolution
my own weight supported
I’m cultivated
for industry
but oddly enough not forestry
watered by oil
then set alight to boil
to bear evil seeds
by artificial means like weeds
exposure from too much sun
a mutilated son
capable of matricide to shovel
my severed lifecycle
my soul died a thousand years ago
I now only exist in the soil of man’s ego
as he climbs higher
I freeze in the winter
my shade is nothing if not colder
each day he becomes defiant and bolder
black or white
wrong or right
day or night
dim or bright
dark or light
to the lumberjack
><
we’re one trunk
08-22-2015
Tbang
Exploring the branches of the family tree can be rather dicey.
Some ancestry could be famous, humdrum or downright spicy!
A feller I know decided to take the risk and check around.
I'm not so sure that he was all that pleased with what he found!
Seems that in the distant past a member of his family strain,
Was a notorious pirate marauding the bounding Spanish Main!
Another was a nefarious cattle rustler ever on the vamoose.
Til a posse tracked him down, and stretched his neck with a noose!
One forebear, a scoundrel who specialized in robbing trains,
Was ensconced for life in a cozy cell, detained in heavy chains!
A rowdy ancestor caused a ruckus in a Cripple Creek saloon.
The local sheriff done him in one fateful afternoon!
His lineage included a "business lady", of whom he proudly spoke.
Til I revealed what a "soiled dove" was, dismaying the poor bloke!
His great-grandpa was caught dispensing jugs of potent 'shine.
Revenooers busted him, resulting in jail and a hefty fine!
His uncle was a goon in a notorious Chicago gangster mob.
He met his Maker heisting a bank they were trying to rob!
He proffered a prayer as he examined that tragic family tree:
"Lord! May a sturdy twig adorn this tree and let it begin with me!"
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired (© All Rights Reserved)
I loved those trees,
limbs draped in plump wild grapes,
bursting with flavor on my tongue,
while juice stained my fingers.
Tall cottonwoods shadowed
the creek where we splashed—Sis,
brother, and I—and a giant sycamore
shaded Granddad's spring. We slaked
our thirst from the granite dipper
hung on a nail he'd hammered
into its trunk at kid level.
We watched water belch like corn,
rattling a popper lid, and ripple
over rocks in the streambed,
where minnows and crawfish
hid from prying fingers.
Hawk-eyed, we scouted
gnarled branches in the orchard
for ripening fruit, luscious and tangy,
spurting juice to drip off elbows.
Hazelnut bushes flourished
by the back fence; black walnut trees
shaded Grandmother's back porch.
Our uncles helped burst crack-jaw shells
with hand-held rocks on the stone slabs
stretching toward the gate.
I do not envy the children
whose play-field offers brick and concrete,
severe and naked, whose only fruit
blows down alleys and into streets,
as the refuse of city dwelling.