24 | A Nonet by Poet Laureate Wendy Van Camp
Grandfather’s Journey
Why did you leave Ukraine, Grandfather?
To walk o’r Europe all alone
Did Ellis Island beckon
Or did Bears frighten you
“You don’t need to know”
his soul reply
but Grandpa,
I do
know
Editor’s Note: Wendy states: “This is a poem inspired by memories about my grandfather who fled Ukraine when Russia invaded and captured it. He left his homeland with little more than the shirt on his back, walking across Europe on foot during his journey to America, before the iron curtain sealed his path to freedom.”
