I had not gone far,
No more than fifteen feet.
A young boy,
Younger than Mushke,
Pointed at me.
She is a Jew,
He said.
I laughed,
But people stopped and stared.
I denied,
But he said it again,
She is a Jew.
I tried to walk on,
But the crowd did not let me.
I laughed,
Again,
But a policeman arrived
And then a German soldier.
That I looked like
All the other Polish girls
Without my yellow armband.
It did not matter
That I’d whispered prayers
To Adonai
To keep me safe.
Papa’s friend stood
On the other side of the street
Watching
As I was hauled away.
He did not claim me.
I did not claim him.
I had been told not to.
She is a Jew.
She is a Jew.