The Memoryhole

The Memoryhole

Here was my house
here used to be our shop
now this is all that’s left
of the world
where I grew up
They changed the names of streets
and squares and buildings
and parks and statues were
paved over and torn down

First came restrictions on
what we could see and hear
they issued mandates on
what language we could use
they outlawed our symbols and costums
and smeared our heroes
they did all they could
to make us ashamed
of who we were

Then the campaigns
the blackclad mobs
they seized our homes
we lost our jobs
we were erased
in the name of progress
justice,
the will of god
or unity

Then the camps
the unmarked graves
reeducation
they left no trace
the slate wiped clean
history rewritten
without us
this never happened
we were never there