Afterlife
By Olivera Andonoska
“If any two people trace their maternal line back — through mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and so on — eventually the two lines will converge on one woman.”
— Bryan Sykes, The Seven Daughters of Eve
— Bryan Sykes, The Seven Daughters of Eve
At a Glance
- • A short poem in which the speaker lives the afterlife of her ancestors within her body — “a tomb for the ancestors, the womb of the descendants” — and the generations meet in her.
- • Author: Olivera Andonoska
- • Form: Free verse, two-line closing couplet
- • Collection: We Are Eve
- • Theme: Ancestors and descendants meeting in one body
- • Epigraph: Bryan Sykes, The Seven Daughters of Eve
I live
the afterlife of my ancestors
within me
people recognize them
within me
my mother finds her mother
within me
my daughter meets her grandmother
My body – a tomb for the ancestors
My body – the womb of the descendants
About Olivera Andonoska
Olivera Andonoska (b. 1980, Prilep, North Macedonia) is a philologist and proofreader specializing in the Macedonian language. She is the author of the poetry collection We Are Eva, which received the Antevo Pero Award in 2025, and the short story collection How I Killed Vera and How She Was Reborn. She has also published children’s books. Her poetry and prose have appeared in literary magazines, and she has participated in literary festivals. In addition to her own writing, Andonoska works as an editor on a range of publications.
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment or a Book Review
We would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, or even a complete book review.