Dear Elie,
I cried over Night.
And cried and cried.
Thinking of myself in the dirt, in the darkness, watching
the smoke rise and know it is not just smoke but hatred and indifference and
all things evil.
It could have been me.
In the smoke.
In the fear.
It could have been me
Orphaned
Alone surrounded by
Six million other “others”
I want to thank you for reminding us not to forget
For remembering that love is a super power
And so is protest.
I stood staring as the tower fell and then the other
Vanished before my eyes into a puff of dust and loss
I was surrounded by neighbors
I wasn’t afraid
Until someone and then someone else took hold of a van
With a driver who wore a turban and had a beard
And then shook it and shook it
I did not hear what they said for I could not hear
But the fear in his eyes
I did not stay to see what they did for I wanted to be
nowhere near
Then I vacuumed
God help me, that’s what I did
I vacuumed and vacuumed
Into the night.
I want you to know that in honor of your return to your
parents, to your family, to the source
That I want to be more like you
That I want to be the one who does not stay silent no more
I will summon the courage to stop the hate
To be of service
To be what others need
In time of their need
No matter who, no matter what they believe
No more silence
I choose light.
With love,
Karuna Lynne
Jewish American Teacher/Author/Yogi
