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Survivors
By Sonia Schreiber Weitz
Copyright © 2002
THE WORD IS A BURDEN, A WARNING, A SIGN
HAUNTED BY GUILT THAT’S HARD TO DEFINE
LADEN WITH PRESSURE, HIGH EXPECTATIONS,
BRACED BY RESILIENCE, LACED WITH ELATION
AND AN ATTITUDE OF CHUTZPA AND CHARM
AS WE SPIT THREE TIMES WHEN THREATENED BY HARM...
BECAUSE OUR HEARTS STILL FILL WITH DREAD
WHERE PANIC AND MADNESS AND SADNESS REIGN,
WHERE TRUTH WEARS A MASK… THE TASK SO ENORMOUS
IT BLURS THE FINE LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH
WITH MALIGNANT HORRORS SPROUTING IN THE SOIL,
SHIELDED BY NEGLECT THAT MAKES US RECOIL...
YET, WE TELL THE TALE, AND SHARE THE DESPAIR,
WE TRY AND FAIL AND TRY AGAIN TO SCALE
THE WALLS OF INDIFFERENCE AND HATE
TO BRING-
WITHIN THE SCOPE
OF MEMORY...