ANCESTORS

ANCESTORS
© March 21, 2020 Saturday
ARC

My ancestors are Greek, Jewish, Catholic, Sicilian -
they arrived Ellis Island 1880s thru Nineteen Tens.
Prejudice, poverty, despair were anguished greetings –
huddled in groups similar to own making friends.

Stonemason maternal grandfather passed for Irish –
`Big Mike’ worked in Pennsylvania coal mines.
They experienced WWI and pandemic of 1918 –
agonizing plight of depression times.

Uncles and Cousin Served World War II –
pair returned, other crossed over to paradise.
Holocaust kith and kin horror defines evil zenith –
Anne Frank’s witness graphic reality of immoral vice.

Bonhoeffer, Bartali, Schlinder, Teresa, Ten-Boom...-
honorable throughout history role modeled outstanding.
Contemporary scourge is call for spiritual activism –
imitate righteous ancestors: love/help kith/kin lamenting.###