Sunday Scribblings: Rooted

(Alex and Ella)


Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my roots. My parents are visiting from Virginia so whenever we reconnect I think about where I came from.

I’ve always had a hard time asking my parents about family history. As far as I know, there are no family secrets—at least there are none to be ashamed of. So I can’t figure out why we stopped communicating about the past. If memory serves, I remember it always made my father sad when he talked about his parents because he missed them so much. And then he would cry, so I stopped asking.

Since I finished my first poetry manuscript, I thought it would a good idea to approach the question of history through a project. I think I’m ready to write about those family secrets, whatever they may be. So while my parents are here, I’ll start collecting anecdotes and tidbits of information so I can preserve them through poems. With any luck, my kids will have a written history to hold onto forever.