Roots
these roots I come from,
no one ever told
them they could win,
of overseas holidays, 401ks,
or lavish dreams,
like what could be made
to fill a room of hungry mouths.
these roots I come from.
Willing to do whatever it took
to take good care of their own,
especially when it
wasn’t easy, or comfortable.
these roots I come from,
ran moonshine when
there was more
month than money.
on skid row amongst
the street justice, hustlers,
and prostitutes than owe
a bank on thin dime
more than they made.
these roots I come from,
they lived their lives,
from birth to death,
without ever knowing
what it was to fly,
only what it
was like to live.
About This Poem
My barber has a certain sign hanging in his shop. My eyes gravitate towards it every time I’m in his chair.
It reads, “I’m my ancestors’ wildest dream.”
As my journey continues to grow I can definitely relate to that statement. This doesn’t come from a place of ego or self-aggrandizement. I’ll expound on more about what it means to me later.
I’ve shared quite a bit with you about my background in the five years I’ve been writing here on the blockchain. Those who’ve read me regularly probably already guessed that the poem Roots is about my ancestors. They were all tough, resourceful, simple people and each of them had to struggle just to survive. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what they would think about my life now.
My great uncle Curtis “Midge” Walton. I’ve written about him a lot here in the past. He was probably ten years old in this picture. Midge never had any of his own children but ended up helping to raise my father after my dad’s biological father passed away when he was three years old. I knew Midge as my paternal grandfather growing up. He had an entrepreneurial spirit, ran moonshine and became a landlord, in addition to his job as a roofer.
My paternal Grandmother, Lillian Ruth (Aurand) Walton. Lillian worked various waitressing jobs in restaurants around Lancaster and Columbus, Ohio. She took in other people’s laundry for extra money and my Dad always said she had an excellent singing voice. He said she used to write her own songs and perform them in bars and taverns around Ohio to help pay the bills.
My maternal great-grandparents, Taras and Mary (Bayura) Fmura. Taras came to the United States on a steam ship all alone from what is now Ukraine during the Russian revolution and never left America. Both were multilingual, ended up having ten children, and Taras made a meager living working in the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania. Taras was a reserved and gentle man, lived a very simple life, tended a garden, and made his own wine which he sold for extra income.
Maternal grandparents, Mary (Fmura) and Herschel Hill. That's my Mom, Rosemary in my grandmother's arms. Herschel was known as somewhat of a “horse-whisperer” and served for the U.S. in World War Two, helping to train horses for Chiang Kai-shek’s army in China. Mary raised my mother and aunt at home and from all accounts inherited her father Taras’ gentle and quiet disposition.
Paternal grandfather, Verlo Vance Walton. This is the only surviving picture I have of my grandfather. He passed away in the early 1940’s in jail and the cause of his death is somewhat of a mystery. Being the oldest sibling, Verlo was the patriarch of the Walton family. According to family history my grandfather had a fiery temper, quick wit, and was a scrapper.
Reminiscing
As I approach my fiftieth birthday in a month and two days I’ve been reminiscing about my life, how lucky I’ve been, and all that I have to be thankful for.
A lot has transpired since I wrote this blog post four years ago, “...A Gateway To A New World.”. Many more dreams have come true and each of them can, either directly or indirectly, be traced back to the blockchain.
Lately, that statement, ”I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dream.” keeps ringing through my head. I have each of these people mentioned above (and many more I didn’t mention) to thank for my success as well as for being my anchors.
As long as I remember these people and their stories they will keep me grounded well into the future as my journey continues. After publication of my next two books, Ephemera (June 2021) and Asylum (2022), I plan to begin the next phase of my life which I haven’t completely figured out yet.
I do know a few things, I will be building a legacy and giving back to try to make our world a better place. As the details of this plan comes into better focus you all will be the first to learn about it here on Hive.
Life passes quickly, isn’t always perfect, and is rarely easy but it can be so incredibly rewarding. Make the most of it.
Define your dream then chase it with everything you have.
We all have a role to play in making the world a better place.
Use every tool at your disposal necessary to become your ancestors' wildest dream.
All for now.
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com, photos/ideas are original.)
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Let’s Keep In Touch
This is a wonderful poem. I must say you also have a great background. Curtis was a great man. I think i have read about him in your previous post and i think he was also selfless.
That's also a nice animation too
Thank you!
Fascinating reading about your ancestors Eric, and how interesting that your maternal grandparents came from the Ukraine! My late uncle was fascintated with the history of the last Russian Tsar and his family and how they were murdered during the Russian Revolution. I have tons of books on that history which he left to me as I also became interested in it, especially the story of Anastasia.
Genealogy fascinates me as I love to know where my ancestors came from and how we ended up; and then one sees the features and hear about characteristics coming through the genetrations, really amazing!
You could start a Genealogy Community here where everything will be stored forever?
Almost like your #blockchainmemoryproject.
History fascinates me as well. The revolution was the reason my great-grandfather left. I think a majority of his family was killed. He was born in St. Petersburg but then, from what I understand, his family evacuated and lived in what is now Ukraine for a few years before he left for America. I really wish I knew more but the details are lost to the sands of time. The extent to which the traits, behaviors, and research is showing even the memories that can be passed down through DNA is just incredible. My Mom said that I remind her a lot of her Russian grandfather. Very good idea about starting a Genealogy Community! Once these next few books are done I might take on that task if no one has done it yet. Thanks for stopping by! It's always good to hear from you!
The digital realm is full of writers and poets of varying genres and stages of growth. Dreamers dream loud. The congested commotion in this overpopulated world sometimes makes it hard to sift through the high seas and deep oceans of poetry.
Now and then I stumble upon a poem half expecting it to cause my eyes to typically twitch, but it never does.
I’m pleased to read your quality content. Thank you.
Thank you @anaclark! I don't always follow convention with my poetry but I try to make each and every poem mean something. Hopefully that shines through. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
That is a pretty awesome saying! A lot of what we do today would probably seem like magic to many of them back then. Depending on how far back you go I guess. My sister is really big into the genealogy of our family, but I have never really gotten into it that much. Not that I don't respect and appreciate our ancestors, I just don't feel like I have the attention span for it! :) Awesome poem as always!
Thank you! I was actually thinking about incorporating that saying into a tattoo. I think our ancestors be amazed at the technology and the opportunities we have now, but would be overwhelmed by the intrusiveness of tech and the frenetic pace of life. The trouble is those who are born with something are oftentimes blind to it. We're lucky to remember what life was like without all of this so we might appreciate it more than the younger generations. My brother took years to map out our family tree before 23andMe came around and then we both took their DNA test. It really changed my outlook on the world to know my roots. Did your sister find out where is your family originated from?
Yeah, she has a pretty lengthy tree going I think. She did the 23andme thing. I am morally opposed to it, but I don't have a problem with people that choose too. It's not that I have anything to hide, but I don't like the idea of my DNA being in a database that can get accessed by the police at any time. Like that guy who was caught. I mean, good that he was caught, but it just seems intrusive. Like a civil liberty issue, but I am a bit nuts so... :) I agree with you. I am thankful that I lived before computers and also with them. It does give us a unique perspective!
Yeah, I don’t know that I would do 23andMe knowing what I know now. We got our test results back in 2013, before I was aware of exactly how they used the data. I have to say though the results of that test were pretty amazing.
My sister was supposed to share the results with me but I don't know if she ever did! How horrible is that of me!
As soon as I began to read the poem, I knew it had something to do with "Midge". Not long ago you spoke about him and the hostility that we are far from knowing remains etched in my head.
What a beautiful phrase "I am the wildest dream of my ancestors." invites a great reflection
I fully share this expression ¨Life goes by quickly, it is not always perfect and it is rarely easy, but it can be incredibly rewarding¨ it is as if it refers to my life.
Thank you very much dear friend @ericvancewalton for these thoughtful and inspiring words
I wish you a happy start to the week
You're spot on! Most of it is about him and my father's side of the family. My Mom's side was also poor but they weren't quite as wild. When you get to be around our age you really begin to realize how precious time is, don't you? It's such a shame we don't realize this when we are younger. Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Monday.
Great verse. A man without a dream is poor. You always have to go to the dream, although I know how difficult it can be sometimes
Thank you @magnata. I hope you and your family are well.
I could write an epistle to sound smart but i believe I can capture how I feel after reading this in a few words.
Beautiful poem, interesing family history and really sound advice.
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it!
Nice writeup. It’s so true we would be “the wildest dream of my ancestors.”
It’s always a good thing to know where and who we come from as it gives perspective to many things that happen to us along the way.
Thank you!