Genealogy

 Sometimes, when it's late at night

And I'm alone with Sportscenter 

Turned down low, filling the void,

As I read dozens of search results

From hundred-year-old newspapers,

Trying to uncover a cousin

Whose name seems forgotten by time,

I feel the presence of relatives 

Surrounding my chair, 

Whispering in my ear, "Read that one."

"Don't quit, you've almost found me."

And when a marriage is revealed,

When the step of a sibling is understood,

When an infant death is discovered,

A child that nobody knew about, 

A child whose mother's tears

Fell so far away and are long dried into dust,

I think I hear a great cheer, a shout of joy, 

From beyond the TV, beyond the neighborhood,

Whispered in my ear, "thank you for remembering."