Family History

The poet was much possessed
By her family’s story—
She wanted to celebrate

The fortitude of her own
Foremothers who suffered much
To carry the line to her,

But she went a bit too far.

She ended up in the dark

Speculative coastal woods
Where shadowy figures ranged,
Collecting shells and ochre,

Bodies enclosing those bones
That would be fossils, parents
To good and evil alike.