Poem: Generational

8,724:  the distance in miles between the Philippines and the Eastern coast of the US
28,470: the number of days in 78 years
4000: the distance in miles between London, UK and North Carolina
18,262: the number of days in 50 years



Mother

Eight thousand seven hundred and twenty four
That is how many miles
from beginning to end.
Where the story starts
to where it finally ends.
From one land to another
to one culture to the next
Quite a journey
is it not?


Twenty eight thousand four hundred and seventy
That is how many days
from beginning to end
Where the tale will start
and it still keeps going.
From one moment to another
to one adventure to the next
It's an epic
is it not?



Daughter

Four thousand
That is how many miles
from beginning to now.
A home I've never known
to an abode I've always been
My heart still yearns
for what could have, should have
It's a tragedy,
is it not?


Eighteen thousand two hundred and sixty two
That is how many days
from beginning to end
When the saga continues
with no end in sight
Living from day to day
dealing with the past and the future
It's a cycle,
is it not?