Dear Nona

I didn’t understand

When you asked me to call

when I got home

I didn’t know

you needed to hear

I was safe

I’m sorry I wasn’t patient

when you asked me

to simply sit with you

I rolled my eyes

What on earth would we talk about

How would we fill the silence

I didn’t know

resting in your own chair

was a luxury

So many

couldn’t rest

couldn’t sit

would never call

*Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. I honor the memory of my grandmother, Lena Taboh Yosafat, who survived the Shoah through cunning, will, and sheer luck. May her memory always be a loving blessing.