Poem: Music from my Ancestors

I stand on the shore 
my blood is from 
a distant origin 
far away from here 

I hear the vibrations 
of their strings 
the breathy notes 
of bamboo flutes 

I feel the rumble
of their drums
like distant thunder
that fills my ears.

I capture the tones 
of their words 
in both hands 
and learn them silently. 

I bring their hopes 
with me here 
in this land 
so very far away.