I remember,
Eyes so sweet and chocolaty
Wishing to never deny them a smile

He remembered,
Blushing lips and my mannish stupor
Wishing to have recorded it as “Our First Kiss”

But he also remembered the people who cringed at us, the ‘happy’ couple
I, too, remembered those bewildered faces, constant stares, and audacious whispers

And who could forget the religious man with his cane

We sat on bench in the park
As the religious man preached with his cane

We sat with our heads slightly down
As the religious man peered down on us with his cane

We sat holding hands in defiance
As the religious man continued his blind hatred with his cane

We sat against God
As the religious man passed judgment on us with his cane

We sat as two prideful citizens
As the religious man tried to separate us, breaking us, striking us—repeatedly with his cane

We remembered,
Hidden Nazi’s and the youth that followed,
Hoping to survive the Second Holocaust