Did you ever have a cardboard suitcase?
The kind with the metal corners nailed on,
leather handle, striped lining?
The kind Jews wrote their names on at the train station
so they could find them later.
They all ended up in a pile, looted and sorted,
anything of use sent to Germany.
So don’t fret if the airline loses your baggage.
What’s a few days without clean underwear?
At least you are alive-
at least you have a family.
Jan Chronister is a retired writing teacher. Her work appears regularly in regional and national anthologies.
A Quiet Courage 