just mercedes

last century
or the one before - grey mists
gather in cracks of time
thyme colonises land where
rushes once grew rampant

I just find the contemplation of time in the first stanza to be so beautiful. Really makes me think of Ellis Island and such.

It's very interesting how our heritage makes us define who we are.

A very nice poem Mercedes. I'm particular intrigued with the rhythm and pacing of the beggining:

returning home to find, of
course, it's moved elsewhere
in the meantime
maybe back over
seas that brought them
here
last century

The splitting of "of course" between the two lines really just enhances the whole meaning, gives it an off beat, and then the rhetorical backtracking ("it's moved elsewhere/in the meantime/maybe back over" kind of spirals back into the past. There is nothing "of course" about it and the rhythmic stress of it all emphaizes it. Very nicely done.

The ending of this ties it all together perfectly. Very nice flow and rhythm.