My Mother Was A Fruitfly - 2008

My mother was a fruitfly
a giant fruitfly
our DNA sequence matches
obviously
I've evolved further
as you can
see

My father was a squid-like something
he swam in a primordial sea
I don't want to think
about their courtship
the one that begat
me

I hope some fundamentalist
doesn't burn down my house
I hope I don't become
a campaign issue
now that this is
out

My grandfather was a shepherd
from the east coast of Russia
...I think that's what
I've been
told

My grandmother was a telephone operator
in Louisville, KY
working the late shift
in a high
rise

My great great grandfather was a poet
in the Arabian Sea
this one
wasn't told to
me