Four Generations Of My Family + 4,000 Memories Of Harlem

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One Grandfather 

was the iceman

for many of the hotspots

on this map

The other Grandfather 

custom-tailored suits

for Duke Ellington

 

My Grandmothers'

 millinery business

and meatballs were rewarded

with free passes to the Cotton Club

 

Their sons and daughters

danced wherever 

there were dance floors

 

But I am the only one

from the third generation

to dance in his own classroom

 

The generation after me

featured the only Oliverio

to live in Sugar Hill

 

I will always remember

his wall-to-wall posters of Malcolm X,

John Kennedy and Kurt Vonnegut

 

All four generations 

of  Oliverios and Anastasios

had a grand time in Harlem

and then some

 

Gentle readers:

start your search engine

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