No one can return to you
your suitcases, worn thin with time
now stacked against a wall in rows
— of course —
Let me put your shoes on for you…
we’ll get you something nice to wear
— first let’s get you a coat —
cover you up
It’s hard to discern nice from right
— sometimes — when we’re warm
and given a place to sleep, and we mistake
brick and wood for feathers
Clarity follows the punch
— our minds are slow — smelling smoke
from a blazing fire consuming memory
— and hope — all silent under the roar
I stand as one breathing
facing a pile of weathered leather
— relics — of what has passed
…yet the air still feels warm…
The image below was taken by me at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, Poland. Rhea and I went on a tour of Poland in June 2024 and learned so much about the absolute devastation of Jewish and non-Jewish populations at the hands of the Nazis and Soviets. While both were ultimately defeated (?) and the camps and occupied countries were liberated (I use that term lightly), the damage done was horrific. It’s not the only place this was happening, nor is it the only time in history where populations were wiped out. We don’t seem to learn. And before we point our finger at the “other” and say they’re the one’s leading us to repeat history…some of this horror occurred because people thought they were in the right and that they’re “good” cause was the only educated, logical, right path forward – fueled by immense emotion and desire to gain the upper hand so that the “other” can’t have it. I fear there are shadows of this now that are gaining substance. The trip to Poland was eye-opening.
a tilting of air 