Just Yesterday
by Elouise
Just yesterday
I saw them
One hundred white crosses
Shoulder to shoulder
Rows of them planted
Right there in that yard
Beside the Armenian church
Not a sign about
Potlucks or bazaars
But masses of crosses
Plunged into the earth
One hundred years of
Just yesterday’s memories
Old photos on mantels
Family stories recalled
Now a sign of remembrance
Just beside the white crosses
Armenian Genocide 1915
One of thousands
We’ll never forget
Never do this again
To ourselves or to others
I thought it myself
Just yesterday
Words straight from the heart
Filled with deep longing
Yet prone to undoing
Mocking, ignoring
Just yesterday
Unnumbered wars
We’ll fight to the finish
Bring prosperity and peace
With justice, a fair deal
Just yesterday
Can hope spring eternal?
Intentions ebb and flow
Memories fade
Hearts revert to
Just yesterday….
Who are we?
How long?
How many
More questions?
Just yesterday.
This poem is in memory of my Armenian friend and former coworker at the seminary, Esther George, and her family.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 9 April 2015
For more information about the 1915 genocide, click here.
Telling the Truth 
It was 150 years ago today that the Civil War ended. That, too, took many years to live into fruition and is not yet done. Questions always.
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Yes. Thanks, Meg. Never-ending wars. Way too many.
Elouise
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Stunning poetry! I found this piece very moving. Thanks for sharing!
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You’re welcome! Thanks for reading and comment–and following! I’m pleased to meet you.
Elouise
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That is interesting. I’ve never heard of this before. I’m going to have to look into it.
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Thanks, Sean. It’s the first mass killing identified as a ‘genocide,’ and involved more than Armenians. It’s a sad and informative read.
Elouise
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Oh wow! I just don’t understand why so many people have to die so senselessly.
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Nor do I. It does, though, remind me that I don’t know what I’m capable of–as victim or victimizer. It also highlights how many people we live with every day who suffer from historic brutality, yet we never hear their stories for any number of reasons.
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Yes and their stories need to be told.
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Indeed. It’s a mirror we rarely look into.
Elouise
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😔
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Thank you for remembering Esther. I have thought of her and her family each day as I drive past the Armenian Sisters’ School on Upper Gulph Rd. They, too, have a sign…
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Debbie, Thanks for this comment. I miss Esther. She was a bright light for me and so many others at the seminary.
Elouise
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