Poem with a Last Line by Alice Walker


Poem with a Last Line by Alice Walker

On our right shoulders the grandmothers sit
On our left the grandfathers
We live between
Breathing ancestor air

What are the signs a cave is safe
What are the signs a cave is trouble
Elusive messages passed down
In our bones

When to stand brave, when to run for cover
Who to question, who to trust
Answers come in our gut
translucent as smoke, just barely there

I never knew my grandmothers
I never knew my grandfathers
But there have been ancestor whispers
Some heeded some not

This for my granddaughter and her children
Dance when you’re happy
Dance when your sad
Hard times require furious dancing


Author:
Sharon Smith

Photo: Christian Bowen on Unsplash



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