Edes

my grandmother collects boxes of soap
the garage is filled with them
even the car can't get in

something to do with the war
though what good soap would do
i can't begin to guess

they evacuated the hospital
the day my father was born
bombs were falling

my grandmother fled
the nuns took her in
she with her bag and her baby

it sounds too much like a film
to be true
happens to other people

yellow star on her coat
i can't imagine her hiding
from the prowling fascist soldiers

she's always serving schnitzel on sundays
family dinner
and a garage full of soap
	
					
August 12, 1995
© Lela Kaunitz