I.
There is a danger in such ignorance
Scanning names on a parchment family tree
Isadora? Lily? Sadie? Rose?
Great grandmother’s family wiped clean from memory's slate
II.
Who will know Sadie was the only one on Seeley Avenue
With two coins to rub together during the Depression?
Backyard bordered with peonies in bright fuchsia and soft pink;
She wouldn’t share a bloom.
III.
Who will know little Rose Mendelsohn died jumping rope
Braids flying, her heart exploded
Mother’s screams were heard blocks away
At the “Five and Dime”
Blood curling shouts to wake the dead
But little Rose was gone
IV.
Unknown namesake
Legacy unspoken
Like an antique wedding band
Bequeathed by souls long asleep at Waldheim
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