Shoshana - A Poem, Some Words, My Rant

 “Shoshana!”

He yells my name.

As I run feverishly away,

A bit of my hair, still tangled between his fingers.

Shaking his fist in the air,

Like a God damned mad man.

I know he holds up,

To his never idle threats.

This isn't a movie,

Some sick twisted recounted story.

Not for my DNA, nor my wife's brown eyes,

Or our son's curly kippah covered hair.

It's always been 'here and now' for the likes of us.

Living in a constant fear, justified.

“Will we survive this war?”

We always do.

Like my brother's and sister's,

My ancestors before me,

I learn, I strive, I push forward.

I never let them win,

Taring my spirit down,

Even as I walk proudly away.

Leaving him standing alone,

On my now nazified porch.

I refuse to run to the shadows.

Feeling so worn, hollow.

They've left us in the gallows!

In the trenches, burning ashes!

Human remains, and broken hearts!

It's a mass grave, or two, or tree...

Unmarked, no names!

Who are we, who are you?

I clutch the gold star around my neck.

A welcome plea,

A beautiful reminder,

As I shed a silent blue tear.

Feeling like acid running down my cheeks.

I need this rife, this way of life.

My home, my peace, my reach,

Shalom can be.

Persecution and servitude,

For the lot of our lives.

Hypocrisy and ignorance,

From the many who refuse to see us.

I look up at the sky, head tipped back.

And with all of the atoms in my body,

I cry out a needed invocation,

“Ta'amin be'atsmecha!”