To My Pioneer Foremothers
the unsung heroines
who sacrificed and endured much
that I might have a better life,
but especially to
Clarissa Hancock Alger,
my 4th great-grandmother,
with whom I feel a special connection.
Families are Forever
A child clings to that which is familiar,
is nurtured from the roots
while taking wing. . .
only to fly home where hearts and hands
reach out to draw her in -
so it must be
lest we become as the animal
and forget our young
as soon as it is weaned.
No, a mother's love stretches
beyond the limits of time
and bands of death
if it not be so
why then do we grieve the loss
of a loved one,
and why do we never forget?
Like mirrors reflecting
from each other
families reach into eternity
generation added to generation
'til we reach that place
where God Himself resides.
Carol Easterbrook Wolf
from "Camels and Bears"
copyright 1993
