Into the Garden: Liviu Librescu

by

In memory of the Holocaust survivor who saved a classroom

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I grew up wary of doors:
open, they could give you away;
closed, they could stop your heart
with a knock at midnight.
Humans were herded into pens like animals.
Let us go once more into the garden, my friends.

As an adult under Ceausescu
I learned to fear the walls & the furniture,
anywhere an electronic ear could be hidden.
Only outside could we speak
about our dreams.
Let us go once more into the garden.

When I told them I wanted to emigrate to Israel,
all of Romania became my jail.
Fired from my job, I still left the house
every day with my briefcase
so the children wouldn’t suspect anything,
so they could grow up without fear.
I mailed a manuscript out of the country
disguised as a series of letters.
Let us go, my friends, let us go.

Fears should be faced in the open.
Too long indoors, & the mind
grows walls of its own.
Even here in Blacksburg, one day
a tree fell on my house–
anything can happen.
Let us go once more
into the garden.
__________

From Via Negativa, 4.29.2007.

3 thoughts on “Into the Garden: Liviu Librescu”

  1. Wow! The audio makes this poem so affective…
    Sometimes we forget what walls others have faced. Thanks for sharing your with us..and thanks for your beautiful wonderful words of enlightenment…

  3. Thanks, Marie and Rob. As for not getting it to play, I don’t know what to suggest other than try again. Sometimes the transmission of larger files can get stuck if there’s a very brief interruption of internet service, for example. And sometimes I’ve noticed these audio players need to be clicked a second time, for some reason. But I’ve paid for an upgrade specificaly to allow hosting of audio on-site, so I’d like to think folks can actually listen. Let me know if it’s still not working for you and I’ll contact support.

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