Article: MY SEARCH FOR IDENTITY, Janet Meredith Rosenbaum

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           MY SEARCH FOR IDENTITY

Poem by:
Janet Meredith Rosenbaum



If you look into my eyes you will clearly see,
Many bits and pieces of those who came before me.
For most, Edmonson County was their home,
However, a few of them did roam.
Most of those went to Illinois, but some went way out west.
Did any of them stay at places they stopped to rest?
Why did they leave their family and friends in Kentucky?
Did they believe a move would prove lucky?
What was life like when they traveled back then?
What was life like when they settled again?
I have so many questions for my family now gone,
The 'What's and the Why's' go on and on.
So I keep searching through libraries, court houses, and archives,
To capture eery scrap of information I can regarding my ancestor's lives.
For to understand me, I must understand how I came to be.
My basic character comes mainly from--
My father, my aunts, and my grandmother, I can still hear her hum,
"I'm Only A Bird In A Gilded Cage,"
Her voice was so sweet, even though riddled with age.
These ancestors instilled in me, strength, determination, love, and morality,
They taught me to believe in myself, whatever I choose to do, I have the ability.
Some of my ancestors were not so nice,
Some of those I loved deeply, in spite of their vice.
Some have inflicted such pain,
From the details here I will refrain.
A few of the family wood like to keep,
The painful truths tucked away deep.
But we need to know what afflictions may creep,
Into our lives and cause us to weep.
For if we know what to expect, Maybe our lives will better reflect,
The goodness and love we each deserve,
From the pains of the past, may we now swerve.


Janet Meredith Rosenbaum