Word-High July: Habilin

Please visit here to learn more about this 30-day challenge.

Genealogy and family history have been my passion since I was a young teenager. I feel that we are called to remember those that have gone on before us, to make sure that they are never forgotten. I dig until I find their stories and save them for our children. Their lives, the remembrance of them, have been given to me for safekeeping.

To My Forefathers

As I lie here among the tombs of old,
I dream about the lives you led.
Big strong men, prolific women,
A thousand stories here are told.

One of you seeking a new life,
Sailed across the ocean to a new land.
Far away from home and alone,
You set up stakes and took a wife.

One wife goes, you take another,
Babies come and babies go.
So hard was life in this new land,
Babies raised without a mother.

As I lie here at your resting place,
Centuries of family embrace me.
I feel the loss of days gone by.
Acceptance and love bring a smile to my face.

Love overwhelms me as I linger here
Words on the stones engraved on my heart
Your blood burns through me, giving me life
Your strength grows in me with each tear.

I remember your strife and hardship;
I feel your love and joy.
You are so happy in this new land,
And I feel the bond of our kinship.

©1998-2016 Suzanne G. McClendon

Please be sure to read David’s post over at Random Thoughts and Observations.

Please also visit our hostess Rosema at Word-High July.

Disclaimer: These Filipino word images are from an article by Isabelle Laureta on BuzzFeed titled “36 Of The Most Beautiful Words In The Philippine Language”. All credit goes to them.