The unmistakable cries of my kin
So genetically ingrained as familiar
Spill over our tables of conversation,
Our dinners and holidays of connection
That keep us all whole.

One by one, the table will continue to empty,
And continue to fill.
To change,
To grow;
But the connections are the essence,
And the essence will remain,
The ever-changing essence must remain.

I know every voice
Every laugh
Every smile
        And they know mine--
Their presence screams in my head
And pounds in my blood.
        I am connected.