Käthe, Among the Swallows

You walk in awkward

solemnity, your eyes

upon the grass

as if they’re trees, and you

above their crowns—over

half a mile 

in the air,

watching out for needles

so you say.

It’s not as bad

as that—not here, the addicts

raked away

as rumpled leaves,

no green

from which to give,

another Untermensch,

something

kicked aside

when in our path.

Never queried

why they’re here

or if they’re loved.

When someone’s

out of mind

they’re out of sight.

Like the girl

you were

in Bavaria,

ever-looking down

among the blades,

for something

left behind

by wary birds,

thinking that a pair of

single feathers

would somehow lift you

off the ground, well

above your father

like the kite that

got away

when he was drunk,

blaming you, your

clammy hands,

the only part of

you

he wouldn’t touch.

Andreas Gripp

April 3, 2025

NOTES: Käthe is pronounced Kayta. Untermensch is German for “subhuman” and was used during the Holocaust.

RF Image