* a haibun
In seventeen-ten, when the century was young, the Swart family crossed the ocean. They came to work for Queen Ann, as Palatine Germans, as farmers. They settled near Schoharie.
Three Swart brothers left home to fight in the Revolutionary War. They were rewarded new ground for their service in the Upper Susquehanna Valley. The trio ventured to this valley’s embrace, to carve their names in this wild, untamed space.
Lawrence settled here. The walls would rise, and the apple orchard would grow on this ground.
Peter, the eldest, returned to Schoharie. On Schoharie Creek, he reclaimed the family farm, where generations before him had lived.
And David sought southern lands to hold, beyond Susquehanna’s waters, swift and cold. In what men now call Swart Hollow, he built his home.
Three brothers, three paths, three fates entwined.
eighteen-oh-seven
house built and orchards planted
Lawrence Swart settled
* A haibun is a Japanese literary form that combines prose and haiku poetry. It typically features a descriptive prose passage followed by a haiku, creating a unique blend of narrative and poetic expression. The prose section often describes a scene, moment, or experience, while the haiku acts as a concise poetic reflection or commentary on the prose.
Published in Local Offerings, Bright Hill Poets, Presented at the Swart-Wilcox House Museum’s Summer Sunday Series onJuly 13, 2025
