WHY?

by Larry Davies

Down ahead of us at the junction
There is a man standing, gesturing ambiguously

What meaning he is attempting to communicate
Can neither be told nor known exactly

Though we are aboard this train, passengers by association
We have forgotten its' destination

(My Canadian friend emails
About her recent visit to Auschwitz)

We have forgotten a lot of things before us
About that man standing, gesturing ambiguously

And we have forgotten who
Is at the control of the engine of this train

A glance out of the train window and behind
Reveals a dusty, ashen gray

A conflagration of black and white and blood red and the blues
A contamination of hate clouds the windows, obscures us from seeing

The man's arms are moving
But how to interpret the signal

Puffs of smoke as if from a starters pistol
But we defer untrained for these Olympics

No dais to distinguish the
1-2-3 (all aboard!)

We lurch and I grasp the safety handle
And pull toward me what is most important (my girls)