Family History | Poetry In Voice

Only the beginning is true.

There was an island

and an orphanage

and a boy.

There was a train and a country

to cross.

There was just a boy.

They took his words from him.

There was just a boy

and they took from him his words

so he could not speak with others

so he could not know there were others

so he was just a boy

We know there was a boy

alone.

Can I say these things if I am not that boy?

I don't know that boy

—that is—

I never spoke to that boy?

We must take our ears

seriously.

In How to Dress a Fish, her debut collection of poetry, Abigail Chabitnoy combines archival documents with the experiences of her great-grandfather…

Grade levels

7-9 / Sec. 1-3