My Brother's Book

My brother’s book deserves a look

And not just for the time it took,

But for the family tree he shook

To show the need to strive.

 

His characters are loosely based

On relatives whose lives he traced

From foreign lands ‘til they embraced

New homes when they’d arrive.

 

The story’s universal, though,

For as they settle and they grow,

We realize how much we don’t know

Of how they did survive.

 

Most families who did emigrate

Shared hardships and the hand of fate

And often, we learn much too late

What pushed or helped them thrive.

 

My brother’s book may bring acclaim

And might or might not garner fame,

But if you read From Where We Came*,

His story stays alive.

 

by Burt Rashbaum