My great-grandmother, Margrethe, came over steerage
Which was at least two decks below the peerage
Her home had been Varde a small Danish town
Moving to Boston turned her life upside down
Her four young children accompanied her
Moving-reuniting family with father
He was a tailor who had come over ahead
Establishing his business to earn their bread
He worked for the wealthy on Boston’s North Shore
While living in an alley among immigrant poor
Speaking no English, Margrethe invited
Other Danish women similarly plighted
Their Kaffeeklatsches became a sweet haven
To encourage each other before anyone gave in
People of wealth sometimes didn’t pay their bills
Margrethe went without coal while the rich dressed in frills
It doesn’t seem fair — they worked so hard!
But that strong work ethic is its own reward
My grandmother worked hard; my mother did too
I learned there’s always something worthwhile to do!
My great-grandmother, Margrethe, came over steerage
Her legacy leaves me far richer than the peerage
This is my response to the W3 prompt: write a poem about a person who has had to leave home. Please include the word “home” in your poem.
I chose to write a Couplet Poem about my great-grandmother, Margethe. My grandmother, Margrethe’s youngest daughter, wrote afamily history and included the details that I used — like no coal on winter day because the rich customers “forgot” to pay their bill.
