Jan 2012
For years, it remained hidden,
behind a picture in its frame.
Seen, unseen, forgotten
behind people now unnamed.
My cousin went to toss it out,
but felt the metal’s heft.
She felt, refurbished, it would look nice
on her Mother’s antique Chest.
Her husband took the frame in hand
with the thought to paint it blue.
“What’s this?” he said when,
from the back, a paper he withdrew.
There upon the yellowed sheet
in a spidery scripted hand
were our maternal ancestors:
Great Grand Ma and Dad.
Great Grandfather was John Devine
of Kildress Parish in Tyrone.
His bride, Sophia Gormley-
a name, till now, unknown.
They had a child named Margaret;
Grandfather’s second wife.
She was mother to my father
and thus my own path to life.
The name Sophia stands for wisdom”
and she married a” Devine.”
Thus I may claim a 1/8 share
of wisdom that’s D(e)Vine.
behind a picture in its frame.
Seen, unseen, forgotten
behind people now unnamed.
My cousin went to toss it out,
but felt the metal’s heft.
She felt, refurbished, it would look nice
on her Mother’s antique Chest.
Her husband took the frame in hand
with the thought to paint it blue.
“What’s this?” he said when,
from the back, a paper he withdrew.
There upon the yellowed sheet
in a spidery scripted hand
were our maternal ancestors:
Great Grand Ma and Dad.
Great Grandfather was John Devine
of Kildress Parish in Tyrone.
His bride, Sophia Gormley-
a name, till now, unknown.
They had a child named Margaret;
Grandfather’s second wife.
She was mother to my father
and thus my own path to life.
The name Sophia stands for wisdom”
and she married a” Devine.”
Thus I may claim a 1/8 share
of wisdom that’s D(e)Vine.
This is the true story of the discovery of my Grandmother's baptismal certificate which my late Aunt had secreted behind a picture in a nice metal frame. The document was discovered by chance and yielded the names of my maternal great Grandparent Sophia Gormley and John Devine. Since the name Sophia means wisdom and she married a "Devine" and each of us has 8 Great grand parents, that is the math behind my feeble pun at the end.
