Empty shoes piled high and deep
their secrets we cannot keep
lest we forget
the truth of who we are
humans not so far
removed from animals
in a kingdom too low
to acknowledge the fact
that we must control
what lies within ourselves
and not one another.
We must remember we are all
sisters and brothers
created from a single mother
each cell between us a bond
instructing us not to harm
lest we forget and destroy
the best of who we are.
Weep upon the pile of shoes
of those who walked their last mile
into the ovens and gas chambers
Jews and gypsies
homosexuals and disabled
those who wore hate’s label
of yellow stars and edicts
enacted by those in brown shirts
shouting slogans and sound bites
we once more hear on our streets
across our airwaves
at rallies held by MAGA stars
and from their congressional seats.
Lest we forget,
remember the empty shoes.
They could soon be yours.
This is a time to remember
even as those who survived
leave this place and space
and leave us the task of remembering
lest we forget.
annarino writes 