Valentine Wenzel Family 1903

John, Julia, Valentine (Front Row)

Valentine

It was because of Valentine,

that I am here.

The long and the short of it,

this time of year.

He left his homeland,

in Germany, seeking a new life,

came to this great country,

and found him a wife.

Valentine learned of a land,

where homesteads could be got.

It was fording the Black River,

that he found the ideal spot.

He built a log cabin,

and carved out a farm.

Keeping the wolves at bay,

and his livestock from harm.

There was another log cabin,

and a barn for the livestock.

A farmhouse replaced the cabins,

that has weathered the clock.

Of Valentine's many children,

the youngest was John.

John inherited the farm,

when Valentine passed on.

With fifty deer shot,

from the back porch,

John provided for his family.

in the Depression's scorch.

My teenage memories,

hunting and fishing that land,

where my mother grew up,

and the farmhouse still stands.

So Valentine is more to me,

than honoring a saint.

My great-grandfather's legacy,

from a land that is great.

Copyright 2019 © Ronald W. Hull

2/14/19

You can read this poem at my website here.