by Dennis Gura (Santa Monica, CA)
My mother brought back from France,
Sometime in the 1960’s,
An oversized book, these often-termed
Coffee table books, meant to be
Casually perused while comfortably seated.
She kept the tome prominently displayed,
Moving the book from living room to family room
On occasion as if to insure that
Friends and family would encounter it.
In French, we could not read it.
And she and I would spat, mildly,
About it, for the cover photo of this
Photo book was gruesome, and was meant
To be: entitled La Deportation, a hollowed-
Eyed survivor stared dully out.
When I would come home from school,
I’d turn it face down, the photo
Too difficult to see while sitting
With a morning cup of coffee.
I’d leave the house and, upon
Returning, be greeted by the grieving
Face front portrait. My mother never
Chastised me for flipping the book, and,
When I’d complain how disturbed the image
Left me, she’d simply say: we must remember.
I miss my parents, who died natural deaths
In the natural course of days, and now
With pained reluctance, I must say I’m relieved
That they are exempt from witnessing again
Images as, perhaps, more gruesome.
This is a book which I cannot
Flip over to avoid the image and
Alas
Will need to be left face up
To instruct us again
That we must remember.
Dennis Gura is a father, husband, and an engaged and serious Jew who tries to understand a complex and confusing world as best as possible. A native Angeleno, he has been deeply engaged in Jewish thought and experiences his entire life–the ethnic, the ethical, the secular, and the religious. He was privileged to study at Machon Pardes in 1982-83, and has since bounced around various LA synagogues and Jewish groups.
If you’d like to read more of his work, visit his Substack page:https://dennisgura.substack.com
You have captured in such a calm manner this powerful image and experience, and the change during a lifetime of its impact on and meaning to you. Thank you for sharing this.