Maine Before Maine

I've never been good enough

at listening to the stories

my family tells

about family history,

and I'm forever beating myself up

about this.

I've listened to my dad's stories

countless times,

about how his dad

used to come up to Maine

to fish.

This was before our family,

my family,

moved to Maine.

My dad grew up in Massachusetts;

when I've tried to research

his family tree,

I think I find his missing grandfather

in Maine,

and really,

this isn't so mysterious;

Maine used to belong

to Massachusetts,

after all,

and they're both snug up in New England,

which people in New England

have a much different idea about

than probably anyone else

in the country.

But still,

on the intimate scale,

it's interesting to think

of the prehistory

sitting there,

wondering if it ever occurred

to my grandfather

so live in Maine,

the way his son would,

the way I did,

and will perhaps,

the heart ever fond

of previous things,

again.

The last time we spoke about it,

he said they fished

on an Indian reservation,

which probably means

Penobscot.

I'll have to wait

or outright ask,

which lake.

Anyway, 

this is to say,

even if your memory

struggles to grasp

the details,

try and listen

when your family speaks

about its history.