Gary Slone is a lifelong craftsman who restores antique jewelry and creates ceramic art in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. His poetry is deeply informed by personal experience, memory, and the search for identity. His poem was inspired by a recent discovery through 23andMe, which confirmed a lifelong suspicion about his family history and reshaped his understanding of himself. Through verse, Slone explores the emotional terrain of revelation, acceptance, and belonging, using poetry as a means of processing profound personal truths. His work reflects a quiet, reflective voice that finds meaning in craftsmanship, ancestry, and the enduring connections between the past and the present.

23 ‘n Me

I never knew where I came from,
I never knew til today,
My friends they would tease me
‘bout my looks they would say
“You don’t resemble your family
You don’t look like your Pa”
Seems like someone’s been sneakin’ round town with your Ma.

Twenty-three n’ me
You done told me the truth
For ninety-nine dollars
‘n’ some spit in a tube
Well, you answered my questions
in nary a day
Mama’s doin’ the neighbor
And Daddy’s ashamed

Well, my Mama told Daddy
“You ain’t quite enough
And if you don’t like it
It’s too bad and too tough”
Cause we were down in the basement
on the washing machine
I been doin’ the neighbor
While it gets his clothes clean

Twenty-three‘n me
You done told me the truth
For ninety-nine dollars
‘n some spit in a tube
Well, you answered my questions
in nary a day
Mama’s doin’ the neighbor
And Daddy’s ashamed