Genealogy

Posted on 2020/04/25 by Bartholomew Barker

Today is National DNA Day. How about writing a poem about this topic?

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Genealogy

I filled out my family tree
like a tournament bracket—
and I’m the Champion.

My final four grandparents
from the sweet sixteen great-greats
all precisely aligned

to produce me, but I’m not the apex
and neither is my species.
Evolution didn’t finish with Darwin.

Just like we made the Labradoodle
and peppered moths with darker wings,
we’re breeding better bedbugs

and selecting our own successors
but I wouldn’t call it intelligent design.

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.
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5 Responses to Genealogy

  2. JeanMarie says:
    2020/04/25 at 23:19

    Great poem. Now tell the truth – is that chart from a school assignment?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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