Evocation Poem by Maureen Travers

Earth’s teardrops pearl my window,
Sky smothers rooftops, grey on grey;
The dull day draws sadness from the well of me, my core,
Where race memory is embedded in strands of DNA
Too strong to be mutated; a history of fear and loss,
A family line leading to my life, my sorrow.

The generations march backwards to an unknown beginning,
One I long to know but cannot fathom, will never, never will….

Bare tree branches wave before my window
Whispering secrets of the ages to my eager ears;
I hear the ghosts of ancestors stir in my brain, my cells,
Translating my heartbeat into words of mystery,
Stirring in me a desire to live, to experience my life,
Giving me purpose that was also theirs, unasked.

I am the beginning and I am the centre; perhaps at my end
I will find the understanding to be still forever, ever still….