Lucy Steigerwald
Member
I heard about Ms. Asplund dying several days late, and the thoughts of what little I knew about her provoked this poem.
A bad memory has gone from the world
There is only second-hand now.
As far as most people saw
She was five years old forever,
Never mind her 94 more
Never mind her decisions and choices.
They wanted her on that damned ship forever
Where her brothers died
And her father said
"We'll be along..."
(They weren't, her mother broke.)
For some time she was the last one to remember
If she cared to, the last one who could
Only the babies in arms, forever babies in arms are left.
To be the last to carry the weight
Of history, drama and cinema
The expectations of being a survivor
She must have been so tired
And I could see it shadowing everything
Her life locked up before she had a chance
Five years old...You could say she had nothing
And everything to do with it
Carried along, handed off
She thought she remembered windows
Being passed through them.
This word proves her silence
These words are all I know of a whole person.
A terrible memory is gone from the world
Lillian might say it's for the best,
But I won't presume anything.
---
I might do some more editing, but I figured that I couldn't resist seeing what other people here think.
A bad memory has gone from the world
There is only second-hand now.
As far as most people saw
She was five years old forever,
Never mind her 94 more
Never mind her decisions and choices.
They wanted her on that damned ship forever
Where her brothers died
And her father said
"We'll be along..."
(They weren't, her mother broke.)
For some time she was the last one to remember
If she cared to, the last one who could
Only the babies in arms, forever babies in arms are left.
To be the last to carry the weight
Of history, drama and cinema
The expectations of being a survivor
She must have been so tired
And I could see it shadowing everything
Her life locked up before she had a chance
Five years old...You could say she had nothing
And everything to do with it
Carried along, handed off
She thought she remembered windows
Being passed through them.
This word proves her silence
These words are all I know of a whole person.
A terrible memory is gone from the world
Lillian might say it's for the best,
But I won't presume anything.
---
I might do some more editing, but I figured that I couldn't resist seeing what other people here think.
