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Hannah Blauer
Copyright © CHS Chapbooks 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without permission from CHS Chapbooks.
What divides us pales in comparison
to what unites us.
-Ted Kennedy
to what unites us.
-Ted Kennedy
A Dust bowl Christmas
It was late at night. The four of them sat on the ground in a circle in the middle of a deserted field, a lantern placed in the center. The dead crops rubbed against their legs and the thin sheet of snow covering the unfertil earth gave them an icy chill they never thought would ever feel so painful. The mother sighed and shivered a little. Under her thin cotton shirt we could see her bones nearly bulging out of her tight skin.
She got up and went to their wagon, just five steps away and pulled out a small bag from the back. She sat down again and shook off a little bit of snow off the bag. Opening it, she pulled out a loaf of bread.The mother looked down at her three beautiful children. Their big bulging eyes shone bright in the glimmer of the lantern’s light. She looked at their sunken faces, their dust encrusted skin, and their hearts, beating behind their small skinny bodies. Then she started to tear the bread into small pieces. She gave each child an equal piece until there was just one piece left for her.
Their big eyes looked right back at her. Nothing was said. Although their faces were still sunken with sadness and exhaustion, their eyes seemed to shine a little, as if emitting some sort of little ray of hope.
As she contemplated her children’s subtle but greatly impacting expressions she broke into a small smile and said: Merry Christmas.
She got up and went to their wagon, just five steps away and pulled out a small bag from the back. She sat down again and shook off a little bit of snow off the bag. Opening it, she pulled out a loaf of bread.The mother looked down at her three beautiful children. Their big bulging eyes shone bright in the glimmer of the lantern’s light. She looked at their sunken faces, their dust encrusted skin, and their hearts, beating behind their small skinny bodies. Then she started to tear the bread into small pieces. She gave each child an equal piece until there was just one piece left for her.
Their big eyes looked right back at her. Nothing was said. Although their faces were still sunken with sadness and exhaustion, their eyes seemed to shine a little, as if emitting some sort of little ray of hope.
As she contemplated her children’s subtle but greatly impacting expressions she broke into a small smile and said: Merry Christmas.
April 20th, 1939
I tap my foot impatiently, waiting
My sister Greta pulls, tightens, and braids my hair
Almost done
She pulls my dress over me
She arranges the flowers in my basket
And I’m off!
Running at the speed of light through the city center
There are flags everywhere
I run into the crowd, pushing and shoving
with all my might to get to the front
People are chatting constantly
Children are hanging on to their mother’s dresses
Straining their necks to get a better view
Their big blue eyes staring with wonder
And then suddenly
The crowd goes silent
We hear the tyres of a car run on the worn cobblestones
People start whispering
Then suddenly, everybody screamed
They were so loud I couldn’t even hear myself think!
People were screaming, crying, pushing
I finally was able to shove my way to the front, when I saw father
He was wearing his new uniform and marching proudly with the rest of his comrades
He saw me and smirked
My heart almost skipped a beat, I was never so proud of father before this
My sister Greta pulls, tightens, and braids my hair
Almost done
She pulls my dress over me
She arranges the flowers in my basket
And I’m off!
Running at the speed of light through the city center
There are flags everywhere
I run into the crowd, pushing and shoving
with all my might to get to the front
People are chatting constantly
Children are hanging on to their mother’s dresses
Straining their necks to get a better view
Their big blue eyes staring with wonder
And then suddenly
The crowd goes silent
We hear the tyres of a car run on the worn cobblestones
People start whispering
Then suddenly, everybody screamed
They were so loud I couldn’t even hear myself think!
People were screaming, crying, pushing
I finally was able to shove my way to the front, when I saw father
He was wearing his new uniform and marching proudly with the rest of his comrades
He saw me and smirked
My heart almost skipped a beat, I was never so proud of father before this
And then, I saw him.
Right then and there, right in front of me
He was standing up in his car, waving at the crowd
I got on my tippy-toes and saluted him
And then, something miraculous happened
The car stopped
And he looked at me
He got out of the car and walk towards me
I could feel my legs trembling with excitement and anxiety
He kneeled and looked at me with a great big smile
He took a flower from my basket
“What beautiful flowers you have, little girl”
“Thank you mein fuhrer”
Right then and there, right in front of me
He was standing up in his car, waving at the crowd
I got on my tippy-toes and saluted him
And then, something miraculous happened
The car stopped
And he looked at me
He got out of the car and walk towards me
I could feel my legs trembling with excitement and anxiety
He kneeled and looked at me with a great big smile
He took a flower from my basket
“What beautiful flowers you have, little girl”
“Thank you mein fuhrer”
We're not so different
When people think about the past, they think of war, immorality, and disease.
People think that the present is the best place to live.
With its technology, industry, and diversity.
Some people think they’d rather live in the past.
With fancy ball gowns, knights in shining armor, the confederation.
But they are all wrong.
People from the past and the present are all the same.
People think that the present is the best place to live.
With its technology, industry, and diversity.
Some people think they’d rather live in the past.
With fancy ball gowns, knights in shining armor, the confederation.
But they are all wrong.
People from the past and the present are all the same.