Prinsengracht 263

What will our widened eyes see
At Prinsengracht 263

Will they skim past
Careful memories left

Or will they notice
Every detail of the weft

In the building’s painful tale
Told by the beams that hold it now

Will the floorboards whisper to me
The words of a young girl

When I pass behind the bookcase
Will my senses whirl

Weaving an eternity
Of lives lost, faces staring back at me

Or will I hear the beat
Of a child’s curious heart

And suddenly know what it’s like
For dreams to come apart

Kira Braun