You tell them this, crȇpe paper strings
of red, like streams of blood that seeped
their boots knee-deep in mud, of hopes and dreams,
not theirs but ours, crepe paper strings
to wrap around a twig, war-art, hand-made
and forged in battle grip, a shadow now
across a forehead bent in art. And prayer,
for those who are no more but left behind
such rifts where trees once grew, holes haunted still
by thoughts of home, chimeras, red. Holes splashed
with mud of flesh and bone, imbued in heavy haze
of that last breath. Crȇpe paper flowers, to fill them all.
Never forget.
Patricia Furstenberg is a Romanian historical fiction, contemporary and children’s books author who resides in South Africa. Patricia penned the Amazon bestseller Joyful Trouble, page-turner Silent Heroes, beloved children’s literature The Cheetah and the Dog, new releases Dreamland and Transylvania’s History A to Z: 100 Word Stories.