Ancestry
My mother's eyes would shine,
And proudly she would tell us all,
You're of the Tudor line.
But Father with a smile would say,
"While bearing that in mind,
You keep your eyes on goals ahead
not those that lie behind.
You have a noble ancestry
But all are dead and gone.
'Tis you who have to prove your worth -
Not those who've journeyed on.
And back along that Tudor line
'Tis sorry truth I state,
There may be some you can't approve
And even some you'd hate.
The way to prove your ancestry
is what you are yourself,
Not by the charted family tree
In book upon the shelf.
So try to be an ancestor
Within the time allowed,
Of whom your children's children
in the future can be proud."
