Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Immigrants' Faint Footnote



three of my 4 grandparents were immigrants.
(the 4th, was son of fathers to the American Revolution)
one of the 3 came as a baby.
(When she contracted fever aboard ship, her immigrant mother stopped others from throwing her into the sea.)
one came as 1 of 3 girls to be bride to 1 of 3 brothers 
(not knowing which with which).
that one-of-three brothers had come earlier to an Illinois steel mill.
(The mill is gone, but a safety manual for this unsafe workplace survives to be read in his Hungarian, as well as in Slovenian, Romanian and tongues of other workmates.)
Immigrants' Faint Footnote
Bob Komives

two of 2 of my sons-in-law were born far from North America.
two of 5 of my grandchildren were born far from North America. 

three grandchildren,
two sons-in-law,
both of my children, 
two of my immigrant grandparents, and their
one son (my father) mastered tongues other than English in childhood.

            More important: 
My story-by-numbers is  faint footnote to your own. 



Bob Komives :: Fort Collins © 2019 :: Immigrants' Faint Footnote :: 1902 


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