Family Reunion Poems

Family reunion poems are a fun way to describe some of the events and feelings associated with large family gatherings.

Let’s face it...

Whenever you gather siblings, in-laws, grandparents – so many diverse people with varying interests, abilities and ages – it’s bound to be somewhat crazy.

Therefore, it’s important to maintain a sense of humor. These family reunion poems put all of that busy family chaos into words.

They are about –

Relatives
by Mary Ann Hoberman

When relatives come visit us,
They pinch my cheek and make a fuss:
They chuck my chin and call me lamb
And say how nice and big I am.
They pat my head and call me dear
And talk as if I couldn’t hear:

“He’s got his Uncle Perry’s nose
And cousin Charlie’s chubby toes
And Emma’s ears and Julian’s skin
And Aunt Meg’s freckles on his chin.
His voice is just like Grandpa’s was;
He blings the way that Grandma does;
He’s got the family’s hazel eyes;
He’ll likely reach his father’s size.
He looks a tiny bit too thin
But that’s because of Carolyn.
He has his mother’s knobby knees
And Grandma’s brother’s allergies.
They say he is a little wild
And stubborn, like Naomi’s child
(The one who wasn’t very smart).
His father says he’s good in art
The same as he was years ago;
They both take after Cousin Joe,
And didn’t Denny draw and paint?
Remember how she used to faint?
Her father fainted too, they say;
When he was ten, his hair turned gray;
It passed on to his older son
(Or was it to the younger one?)
They were quite handsome even so;
They both resembled Cousin Joe,
The other one, who moved to Greece
And was left-handed like his neice.
His hair is more like Jack’s although
He looks a little more like Joe.”

And while I go on standing there
And they keep mussing up my hair
And calling me a little lamb,
I wonder who I really am.

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

Defining family

Families, Families
by Dorothy and Michael Strickland

Families, families
All kinds of families.
Mommies and daddies,
Sisters and brothers,
Auties and uncles
And cousins, too.

Families, families
All kinds of families.
People who live with us,
People who care for us,
Grandmas and grandpas,
And babies, brand new.

Families, families
All kinds of families.
Coming and going,
Laughing and singing,
Caring and sharing,
And loving you.

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

Welcome

The book -
"Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion"
poems by Lisa Wheeler
and
pictures by Frank Ansley -
offers a wonderful insight and humorous descriptions of the typical family reunion... from a sheep's perspective.

When the sheep family
gets together,
even the odd relatives
are welcome!

Once a year they gather -
Woolverton, Little Bo Sheep,
Felice, Uncle Abe Ram,
and the rest of the fleecy flock.

It's baa-dminton here,
sheep dipping there,
brunching and lunching
everywhere.
It's kissing and hugging
for each little lambly
in this wild and woolly
close-knit fambly.

Aren't you excited
to be invited?

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

Sharing an inside joke

Small Park
by Marilyn Singer
(excerpt from her book "Family Reunion")

SMALL PARK
says the sign
in letters yellow
on brown
like squiggles of mustard
on a hot dog
slices of lemon
in a glass of iced tea

This year
it’s my turn to make the joke:
“If the park’s so small,
how are we all going to fit?”
And we laugh
knowing Small Park
is the biggest park in town
big enough to hold mothers, fathers
grandmas, grandpas
brothers, sisters
uncles, aunts
and cousins, first, second
and twice-removed
who come by bus, bicycle
airplain, auto
train, scooter
wheelchair, stroller
and feet, in hightops, sandals
and fancy cowboy boots
to share among the tall and shady trees
what the weatherman got right after all:
one especially sunny day
in the middle of August

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

Dealing with relatives

Cousin Geroge
by Marilyn Singer
(excerpt from her book "Family Reunion")

There’s one in every family, says Mom
And I know she means Cousin George
Some people like to play kick ball
Others enjoy writing poems
But Cousin Geroge, he likes to argue
Anytime
Anyplace
Anywhere
He’ll tell you this flower’s a daisy
when you know it’s a dandelion
He’ll insist that dog is a poodle
when you’re sure it’s a Pekingese
Today, swearing that a cicada
is a centipede
he gets Max so mad
that Max drops the bug
right down his back.

“Look,” says Mom
“He’s doing the polka.”

“No, no,” Uncle Ned disagrees
“I’m certain it’s the waltz.”

And for once Cousin George
wiggling and wriggling
in his itchy-twitch dance
doesn’t argue with either one of them
doesn’t argue at all

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

Keeping the kids happy

Slow-Motion Sprint
by Marilyn Singer
(excerpt from her book "Family Reunion")

It’s Uncle Steve’s idea
of course
Uncle Steve
who likes chess
and chamber music
and T’ai Chi—
this old Chinese exercise
that makes him look like a man
dancing underwater

It’s after the potato race
the relay
the sack hop
the marathon around the lake
the hundred-yard dash

when, chuffling and red-faced,
we surround Cousin Jeff
who’s won every single time
crying “Unfair! Unfair!”

that Uncle Steve unhurriedly declares,
“Time for the slow-motion sprint.”

Confused, we stare
till he explains:
“You have to cross the finish line.
You have to keep a steady pace.
You cannot stop or leave or pause.
The slowest runner wins the race.”

We laugh at his rules and his rhyme
but line up just the same

“One. Two. Three. Go,” he says
dragging out the words
like a broken-down tape recorder

And we’re off
rabbits trying to be tortoises
squirrels trying to be snails

and it’s hard
so hard
inching along like worms in a wheat field
counting breaths and blades of grass

that in the end
we no longer care who’s the winner
and we don’t even care we don’t care

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

Saying goodbye

Closings
by Marilyn Singer
(excerpt from her book "Family Reunion")

Nothing disturbs Dad more
than a restaurant at closing time
when they start to stack
the chairs on the tables
and put all the milk pitchers away

or the last movie show
when they sweep up
the popcorn in the sticky aisles
and turn out the lights on the marquee

It’s that left alone get out of here go home feeling
Dad can’t stand

So, long before the sun’s set
and the next to last car has left the parking lot

we begin our good-byes
packing up the bats and balls
and the picnic basket
collecting the suntan oil from Aunt Laura
the tablecloth from Baby Ben
patting and hugging and saying

See you tomorrow
to Grandma Rita

See you on Tuesday
to Cousin Jon

See you next year
to Great-Uncle Nicholas
to Aunt Amelia
to Max’s Grandma Deborah
to Carrie and to George

Then we’re walking and waving
walking and waving
exiting through the grass and trees
to the asphalt
alongside Aunt Rebecca
who’s due to have a baby
maybe any day

When we reach the car
Dad lets out a sigh
and Mom wipes at her eye
and I call out the window one final good-bye
to my family
that’s always different
always changing
and to Small Park
that’s always pretty
much
the same

{Return to family reunion poems subject list.}

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