Stories of Ancestors Who Served in Wars
Discovering courage in the bloodline, telling their stories in verse.
Every family has a story tucked into its branches about someone who marched, sailed, flew, or waited in silence. Some names are remembered and honored; others are half-remembered, hidden in faded documents, letters, or photographs. Poetry can breathe life into those names, letting your ancestors speak through your pen. Whether they served in battle, behind the scenes, or on the home front, their stories deserve to be told. Poetry provides you with the freedom to tell those stories with feelings.
🖋️ Poetry Form Spotlight: The Narrative Poem
The narrative poem tells a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. It often includes characters, setting, and plot, just like a short story. This form is ideal when you know a specific ancestor’s war story or want to imagine one based on the period. Narrative poems allow room for emotional arc and historical detail, where you can turn a simple fact, “he fought at Gettysburg,” into a vivid, memorable experience.
Check out 25 Narrative Poem Examples, where you can see how the narrative poem works. You'll discover it can be long or short, detailed or vague. With a soldier's story, though, you might want to stick with emotional reality.
✍️ Mini-Prompt:
Write a poem in the voice of an ancestor who served in a war. Use the phrase “I never told anyone, but…” as the opening line. Let the poem reveal something they carried either emotionally or physically (or both).
💬 Call to Action:
Look through old photos, obituaries, or military records. Find one ancestor who served and write a poem that honors their contribution. It doesn’t have to be historically complete. Try for emotional realism. Share the poem in your family newsletter, scrapbook, or poetry blog to help keep their memory alive. I'd be honored if you shared your poems here as well!
Take these tasks to the next level by reading some poetry and books suggested at Goin’ Poetic, along with a checklist of things you might think about before you write your poem. Please share your poem in the comments!