The Remnants
Father and Mother sent me away, for it was no longer safe to stay
I do not know the cause of this outburst of violence falling over my land...
As they drive me to safety, I look at the streets where I used to play
Left and right, all the houses are desolate and left abandoned
I recall the stories they told of my grandparents back when they were my age
They were also sent away, or rather, taken to a terrible place
A place without room to spare, people crowded on top of each other, a cage
Mother fears history repeating as we get farther from what is now just empty space
“We have survived worse as a people; we can survive this too,” Father said.
Rubble surrounds us as we pass by the Dead Sea
Mother continues the story as we all fill with dread
Another body lay on the side of the road, reminding us of the reason we need to flee
“Many of our people were left like that, piles stacked high by the Germans,” Mother continued.
They left me in this foreign land with trusted friends and went back to help those in need
I’d call every Friday to see how they were; I was terrified, unsure if we were ever to be restitute
One day, I rang after hearing of great violence in the area they were at
It rang and rang, on and on and on and on…
Yours in Christ,
Paige Heinricy
(Paige is the granddaughter of Steve and Nancy Cohen)