The Idea of Ancestry
Good Morning this is Traci Morris. I want to share a poem with you today by
Etheridge Knight called The Idea of Ancestry. As we gather during
this holiday time- I think about people who are alone, can't be with their families.
Etheridge Knight was in prison when he wrote this. This is Part 1 of the poem
"The idea of Ancestry."
The Idea of Ancestry
Taped to the wall of my cell are 47 pictures: 47 black
faces: my father, mother, grandmothers (1 dead), grand-
fathers (both dead), brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts,
cousins (1st and 2nd), nieces, and nephews. They stare
across the space at me sprawling on my bunk. I know
their dark eyes, they know mine. I know their style,
they know mine. I am all of them, they are all of me;
they are farmers, I am a thief, I am me, they are thee.
I have at one time or another been in love with my mother,
1 grandmother, 2 sisters, 2 aunts (1 went to the asylum),
and 5 cousins.I am now in love with a 7-yr-old niece
(she sends me letters in large block print, and
her picture is the only one that smiles at me).
I have the same name as 1 grandfather, 3 cousins, 3 nephews,
and 1 uncle. The uncle disappeared when he was 15, just took
off and caught a freight (they say).He's discussed each year
when the family has a reunion, he causes uneasiness in
the clan, he is an empty space.My father's mother, who is 93
and who keeps the Family Bible with everbody's birth dates
(and death dates) in it, always mentions him.There is no
place in her Bible for "whereabouts unknown."
Poetry Links
Yusef Komunyakaa
To hear Yusef reading "Facing It"
War
Poetry
For poetry about the Vietnam War
The Alun
Lewis Page
For information on Alun Lewis
War
Poetry
Alun Lewis' War Poems
Alfred
A Knopf on Philip Levine
Information on many of Levine's books
Galway Kinnell Reads Walt
Whitman
Kinnell reads Whitman's "To The States" and comments on it
Philip
Levine on the Internet Poetry Archive.
Read Levine's poetry and listen to Levine read his poetry
The
Leonard Lopate Show: Poetry Magazine
Hear Mr. Lopate talk about the 100 million-dollar donation from Ruth Lilly to
Poetry Magazine
The
Next Big Thing: Poetry Lives
Alice Quinn, poetry editor for the New Yorker and executive director of the
Poetry Society of America, sorts through some entries to the Poetry in Motion
Contest
e-poets
Network Book of Voices
a list of poets and poems from the Chicago area-- you can listen to poets read
their work
The
Poetry Project
is at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, since 1966
Bartleby.com
A collection of books online, including a bounty of verse
An
Audible Anthology
A collection of poems printed in the Atlantic Montly to read or listen to
Gumball
Poetry
It's a zine, it's a website, it's a gumball machine that dispenses poetry!
