Majid Naficy: Helen

Sometimes I see Helen
Passing by
Wearing a long skirt.
She pushes a metal walker
Scraping against the ground.

She always asks:
“Sir!
What day is today?
What day is today?”
I say: “Jeudi”
And sometimes: “Donnerstag”
Because I know
Helen had fled Germany
And married in Paris.

She passes by me
Like a heavy train of victims
And I hear their voices
Out of the reach of time.

— In Memory of Edna Sabet

Copyright 1997 Majid Naficy

Majid Naficy is a Persian poet who lives in Los Angeles. His many books include Father & Son published by Red Hen Press.

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