Hand-Me-Downs and Sweat Pants

by Angela Jefferson

Hand-Me-Downs and Sweat Pants is a collection of poetry that looks at specific and general contributions of the family tree and what it leaves. These pieces speak of the substance of the tree which lies beneath the bark. It addresses questions of lineage regarding physical features, the balance of spiritual assuredness, and the acknowledgment of truths concerning character, regardless of how unflattering those truths may be. Come explore a family tree through one woman's eyes as she drops, and swings from her ancestral branches of "Somebody Broke My Greatness," "Uncle Jolly, Uncle Change, Uncle Not Sure What's His Claim," and "A Deep Richness." Carefully climb down to the thick, foundational trunk of the writer's own opinions with "The Power," "Sweat Pants," and "I Didn't Give Up, I Just Quit," until effortlessly step onto the rich fertile soil, she's leaving for her own descendants with "To Write What's Left," "The Heart of a Mother," and "A Ripple in the Right Direction." Read, enjoy, and be encouraged to examine your roots and discover your own hand-me-downs. Figuratively speaking, these poems will certainly lead to you discovering the comfort of your own sweatpants.