The hall is filled

with the bustle of busy women

getting ready for the Reunion

where almost a hundred folks

will gather and partake

of food and fun and conversation

the Barbeque set up in long trays

the side dishes arranged for the serving line

sweet tea prepared and

a wide array of desserts placed like jewels

on a folding-table

delicious aromas waft from the kitchen

and the volume of conversation rises

as more and more people arrive

people hug and give greetings to

those they have not seen in such a long long time

talk is the remedy for hearts

isolated by distance and the crush of city life

they talk of kids and grand-kids

and graduations weddings and funerals

the latest gossip makes the rounds

people catch up on all the family news

smiles are exchanged

hands shaken

over the whole gathering

there is an abundance of

happiness being exchanged

the simple joy of talking

to one another face to face

not through a phone or a computer

communicating through closeness

all linked by time and place and DNA

there is joy in the realization that there is still family

descendants of those who left the old country

for a better life

they delight in the food and one another

and the simple joy of reuniting

in common kinship

a family once again.