fader, his mädchen
and the Führer
Janet Kuypers
1/31/14
It was Saturday morning.
My mädchen didn’t have to go to school.
It was late, this musty day in
October, only one day after my
little daughter’s birthday.
And she was angry, because
I wouldn’t let her celebrate
last night with her school friends.
She didn’t hear the noises I heard
on the streets of our Berlin town.
She didn’t understand why her fader
would stop her from celebrating.
I know my family loved the wealth
we’ve had since my little girl’s birth,
but I had a sinking feeling
things were about to turn.
I took the train to my office Friday
night because of the chaos outside.
My mädchen didn’t understand why
I went out and she had to stay in.
But being outside, I watched brick bombs
break windows, setting stores ablaze
before synagogues were engulfed in flames.
I know she didn’t understand, so I took
my wife and daughter on a trip that early
Saturday morning, and we slowly stared
at the smoldering synagogues and shattered
storefronts scattered on the streets of Berlin.
But I pray the predatory destruction
we saw that day does not mean we should
fear for our own lives, or our own religion.
I know my daughter’s birthday makes her a
Scorpio, and I know the scorpion is a predator.
I just hope my beautiful little girl, like the beauty
of Scorpio, knows that her fierce independence
and passionate resourcefulness must save her
from our Führer, that we’ve unwittingly pledged
our allegiance to, for this unwarranted destruction
is a frightful sign of things to come.
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