I don’t blame you for hope,
For wanting violins.

For the Schwarzes of Horb,
There were no elegant sounds,

No quivering long notes.
Deportation came

Crashing & swift.
But for Hedwig, there was air.

The nameless angel who rescued
Her broken body from the

Transport car hurried her to
Marienhospital, where

The Sisters treated the only Jew
With silence.

The Just man who lifted her
From the rails

Offered hope, the key
To staying human.

Each violin stirs our Just selves,
Reminds us

That silence is no remedy
For persecution.