I couldn’t stand on one root alone,
and there I saw some darker roots grow.
Buried deep beneath this confused tree,
were roots that extended from complex histories.
My knowledge grew the further I searched,
everything passed down since this tree’s birth.
I found stories stem from Rhayader to Navsari.
Generations of Patels, Davis’ and Prices come before me.
As I dug deeper I found beauty buried beneath,
roots that contributed to each patterned leaf.
The soil was rich with ancestral stories,
each root unique with it’s own history.
The root that stood out to me,
was one that extended across the sea.
As I explored this root I uncovered all sorts of colourful memories.
Which were once buried deep beneath, because they didn’t fit in with the other trees.
I felt the guilt of what I took for granted,
as I uncovered moments that were already planted.
The more I searched this entangled vine,
I saw the journeys from coastal lines.
In this root I found cherished routines.
Like being hugged by Ba as we walked through the door.
Catching up with family over walks to the local store.
The feeling of the lace table cloth as we all sat around the table to eat.
My face lighting up as I saw stacks of perfectly round rotis.
As I followed this root I saw how entangled it had become,
weaved together like the complex stitching of Sari coming together in unison.
These roots represent the very best part of me.
These roots show the journeys of my Grandparents and my Bas and Bapujis.
They were not tendered to before,
but now I’ll ensure they’ll always be cared for.
There is more than one root from this tree,
for a complex and beautiful structure lives beneath.
