I Wish I Had Spoken

But when you try to talk
little me ran away from you
You knew not a single bit of English
But you still wanted to talk to me

Then the years went by
I became interested in the past
A past that you lived through

You outlasted France’s hold on your nation
You outlasted both Weimar and the third Reich
You outlasted Japan’s imperial ambitions
You outlasted the American puppet state

You were a survivor

Yet when I muster the courage to inquire what you knew
Your ears ended up failing you near the end
Your knowledge was shut out from me

Soon after that knowledge would be lost forever

I wish I’d spoken sooner
To want to learn sooner
Now I must discover what I can
Without a person who breathes history