The following poem was written and shared by Vanesha McGee at the closing of the Celebration of Life for Kathy Flores on December 11, 2021.
For more information about Kathy's legacy, please visit the Kathy Flores Memorial Fund.
ancestor
a person who came before, linked as family, and has passed on
ancestors
those who told stories with their eyes, shared love through their touch,
those whom we’ve met, whom we’ve loved,
those whose names ring truths in our beings
those who honor our existences
beyond bloodlines,
ancestors are our connection to identity
those from whom we descend
yes grandmothers and great uncles,
sisters and cousins and mothers - our beloveds
so too are they our queer elders and leaders
our icons and mentors and teachers
the ones who stood up for our freedoms
who taught us that love can be enough,
that life can be for us
they are those from whom we receive guidance
those who remind us that we are seen
and we – have been chosen to uplift their legends,
to bring grace to their illuminating presence
in our actions, through our words, with our bodies
we honor our love
those who carry our dreams, our hopes, our goals
as if they were their own
we raise our glasses
and slip gratitude into every moment
and as we move our bodies into the tomorrows we hope are still to come
may we remember the feeling of lightness and of joy
the fill of nostalgia and of praise
that rock our steady
spoken words from the heart, a story for every memory
may we remember how it feels to laugh and to cry
with those we hold dear, for those we we hold near
may we offer ourselves to each other
honestly, wholly, and daily
may we not hold our tongues,
but lift our language to the light
let us love ourselves and each other into the future
saying thank you and i love you and you matter