Black hole 1

airplane propeller whirled round and round
formenting turbulence and such a din
we could hardly bid our father farewell
one of the first to return through Checkpoint Charlie
to homeland occupied still.

German shepherds on platform
collared to black uniformed border patrol
sheet metal obscured view of Potsdammer Platz
passport photo crossed-referenced to father
commanded to remove glasses
stand aside
like so many predeceasing him in concentration camp.

~ Barbara Janusz

A graduate from the University of Alberta with Bachelors of Arts and Laws degrees, Barbara Janusz resides in the Crowsnest Pass, where she is engaged as a contributing writer for EnviroLine, The Business Publication for the Environmental Industry. Runner up winner of the Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Prize in 2001, she has published essays, short stories and poetry in various literary journals, anthologies and magazines.

Leave a Reply