Family Portraits

Abstract

This thesis is a collection of poems in two parts. The first section is comprised of poems about my grandfather and his genealogy research. It endeavors to explore the ways we see people after they are gone. My grandfather died nine years ago, and much of what he left behind for me were his genealogy records. Through his letters and research, I have learned more about his history and the history of my family than when he was alive. The first section of this thesis also considers the ways in which we understand the stories of those who have died without leaving an extensive print on history. It struggles to answer the question: How do we understand our histories when all we have of them are a few records or passed down anecdotes? The second section of the thesis looks forward rather than back. It is a series of poems about intrauterine insemination and the process of choosing a sperm donor. These poems are about the financial and emotional struggles of having children as a woman in a same sex marriage. It looks at the ways we choose the process (whether adoption, IVF, or IUI) and how that process differs from the norm. It looks at the tests and language involved in going through IUI, including that used in sperm donor profiles. Many of the poems focus on what it means to choose a stranger as the other biological parent to your child. Others look at my own fears of how my DNA will react with our chosen donor and what I both hope and fear for our child. In summary, this thesis is about how we understand the lines of family.