as a child you can't grasp it you're born with a hole in your heart something stubbed out
but you don't have the words to grasp what was there the first time you see a picture it will
wedge into the hole and twist lodging into a place so deep you didn't even know it was there
we commemorate in recognition of a loss
to appreciate and celebrate to reflect on the things in the world that need to change
a blue and white floral dress the kind of dress you might see on Etsy
it belonged to Helen a holocaust survivor who came to Manchester in 1946
she wore me to England and nobody asked where did the button go
maybe if they looked at her chest they would feel unclean nobody wanted to know where she'd been
nobody offered a needle and thread or so much as a spare button to replace the one that she'd lost
a teddy bear arms raised like a hug or a surrender brought
to Manchester by Leo Marcus whose son had not survived the holocaust
a bear is not a sun you can hold it and it can reach up to you with a lopsided smile
but it won't tell you it loves you and you'll never hear it laugh a bear is not a boy you
can take it out to play but it will never race you to the finish line it won't fall and scrape
its knee a bear is not a child you won't see it grow you'll just see it where it's only a bear
lust is more than just a four letter word six million is more than a statistic and a number
comprehension is an unfathomable term when it comes to six million
losing one person can make or break an individual
all six million had a story a message a uniqueness don't sell yourself short differences in diversity
does not make you less than let your story be heard let your legacy make an impact and if not
for yourself for the six million stories lost the teddy bear a symbol of innocence a teddy bear that
carried the youthful hope of someone who would see more hate than love but love is shown through all
sorts this teddy bear though somewhat undesirable is all the love necessary to combat the hate
prejudice is a horse thundering around the racetrack blinkered acidic
sour sharp like a blade prejudice is a crowd shouting
a pile of bodies you're suddenly underneath a fence you're now behind
we commemorated recognition of a loss to appreciate and celebrate to reflect on the things
in the world that need to change we commemorate because it happened so it doesn't happen again