A line of flags above my immediate family’s plot

A view from Hickory Grove Cemetery across the valley to the hill were my family’s ancestral farm was located

One of my Revolutionary War ancestors buried in the Hickory Grove Cemetary

My siblings asked me to write a poem for the back of the memorial card that was distributed at my father’s funeral. The pastor read it during the service. My siblings and I were just too emotional to speak during the service.

Reading “Rest in the Grove” at an open mic after a reading by Judy Kronenfeld (“Bird Flying through the Banquet) and (Karen Greenbaum-Maya (The Book of Knots and Their Untying) photo by Cati Porter

The wildlife sanctuary in the valley between my ancestral home and the Hickory Grove Cemetary.