A Letter To My Ancestors In 1607 Poem by Tony Walton

I realize you are busy planting crops, fighting
typhoid, dysentery and various fevers,
not to mention Indians (they control gambling now!)

But I've got troubles too: The internet is
slow today and this message will take forever
to get to you (5 minutes, maybe more) .

I read that you are great farmers.I can't say
that I have any farming abilities, as instead
I order Chinese food and other take out
food delights. I am ordering a pizza now.
I think you would like pizza.

I understand that you spend days with
Indian guides looking for new sources of fresh water.
We buy that in bottles now but I couldn't tell you
where it's from.

Sorry, you're probably busy now keeping up
with 12 children and don't have the luxury of time.
In the future you'll have much more time and
you will find yourself thinking a lot, too much
so much you'd probably need therapy
We do

I went to your gravesite today,
well, kind of: it's now a strip mall with
a Walgreens, Foot Locker, a nail salon and
a Smoothy King- you would be happy to
know they have the best raspberry-beet
smoothie (I think you'd like smoothies)

this is what it all came to

imagine that.