Thoughts travel backward,
to before the war,
when the childhood home was still standing.
If thoughts were clear enough
they could find Klaus senior,
thriving in his new beard.
Or Klaus junior
skipping rocks across the pond
and scattering the mallards.
Or Marta combing her hair in the mirror,
the newly gray threads
tingling with light.
Or Marlene in her new dress,
skipping down the front stairs
into the arms of a waiting boy.
But mostly thoughts
come up against smoke and dust,
can make no sense of anything.
But thoughts are inveterate travelers
and they never give up.
They sense that those were the days.
They’re determined to discover why.
