A Part Of The Big Family Tree Poem by RIC BASTASA

retrace the steps
finding the footprints of my ancestors
their fingers carved in the limestones
of old spanish churches and
municipal halls

howling sounds of their sufferings
on forced labor and constant whippings
they found the escape on wooden boats
paddling their way
tossed by big waves
and uncertain dark nights
towards the Sulu sea

they found land where they are free
built their houses and made love all the way
bathe in the wide and long winding rivers
embraced the sea and acquired their territories
for years the wrote their names on the long lists
on tombstones

i am here and they are pleased
i am writing about them
and what they started once
i shall continue
what they have seen i shall see again
on this big tree with roots down the deepest earth
and branches and twigs like a hundred hands and fingers
strecthing out to the skies
i am one of the buds
coming out from its bark
i have tiny breathing cells spreading looking out for more openings