Poem for Monday

Survivor
By Leah Aini
Translated by Lisa Katz

My father dials the number crucified into his arm
and listens alert
he doesn't listen with his left ear
reminder of a slap from an S. S. hand
in this ear he hears
hears like a mute
uses the good ear as a receiver
for the nightmares
from Dora, Buna, Auschwitz
arriving on the trains
my father screams once a week as if to say
I feel fine
and afterwards he turns his head on the wet pillow
and falls asleep on his right side
turns his dead ear to my crying
crying that walks on tiptoes.

--------

Yom Ha'Shoah this year falls on April 21st.

Paul's aunt and uncle whom we visited in Boise last summer are on the east coast visiting relatives and friends, and we got to see them on Sunday after they went to services at National Cathedral. We met at the National Arboretum, which finally has the azalea blossom watch posted on the web site, so we knew the flowers weren't yet at peak but that there would be enough to make another trip worthwhile. A lot of the roads in the park were being repaved, so we took a roundabout trip to the visitor center, went through the bonsai where the tropical specimens are back on display, hiked up to the National Capitol Columns, then crossed the field and wove our way around the azalea walk. It's mostly pink and purple blossoms at this point -- very little red or white, and none of the exotic peach or fuschia -- but still very pretty, and it was a gorgeous day, a bit cooler than Baltimore the day before.


The bees were busy at the National Arboretum -- so much so that in the bonsai exhibit, there were signs reassuring visitors that the multitude of carpenter bees have no stingers.


Here are Aunt Jean and Uncle Bob on the azalea walk...


...and Daniel and Adam, further along the walk. The color is not as full as in previous years we've visited so I couldn't take our annual photo under the canopy of pink azaleas.


Adam looked for four-leaf clovers near the National Capitol Columns...


...and two little girls took off their shoes and went wading in the fountain in the middle of the Columns.


Here for perspective are the Columns from a few weeks ago when we visited while the forsythia was in bloom.


Now there are many tulips.


And the azaleas are coming -- next weekend they'll probably be at peak.

We went out for a late lunch at a restaurant recommended by Daniel because it's across the street from his high school -- it's where the robotics team orders carry-out -- which made the kids happy because they love Chinese food, and while it's not my favorite, there was very good hot & sour soup and orange chicken on the lunch menu (with no MSG, huzzah). In the afternoon we had to stop at Toys R Us because there was another Pokemon Platinum download giveaway -- I think this one turns Pokemon into refrigerators and microwaves? Don't ask me -- and we went into World Market since we were right there to grab Indian simmer sauces.

In the evening we watched The Tudors, a week ahead of broadcast I think because we always get it from On Demand (which reminds me that I never watched the last few episodes of Brotherhood -- someone who saw the finale, let me know if it's too violent for someone as squeamish as me to stomach, please). The Tudors continues to be pretty and ridiculous -- Jane is pretty even as she's dying in childbirth, which, miraculously, she does without losing any blood...The Other Boleyn Girl had more realistic birth scenes. Not that I am complaining, as it's nice for once to get a show whose adult rating is much more for sex than violence!