Appalachian Stories, Poetry, Recipes and Inspirational Humor 1

Melungeon Moon

Melungeon people, what is that name, where do they come from, what do they claim?
Where are their roots where did they start, are they real or of the heart?
Sneedville Tennessee they say, they’re most prolific there today.
Some ways still linger from the past, family values, Oh how they last.
The blood is strong I feel it still, it beckons from a distant hill.
A spirit freed from fathers gone on, it stirs my soul I know I’m one.
Did they come from Roanoke Isle, or people forced into exile?
They tamed the land but could not stay, forced out by others who had their way.
Into the hills they took their own, to live with others there unknown.
The ground was hard the landscape rough, it made them strong, it made them tough.
Suspicious they are of those they meet, their secrets well guarded, there words most discreet.
Persecuted, scorned by those in the past, our history bears witness with records that last.
Their tracks no longer covered they want their story told, they want the world to re-discover, a people proud and bold.
Shine on us O Melungeon moon where ever we may be, for in our hearts we’ll always be, Melungeon's you and me.