The Empty Window

The Empty Window

More years ago than I want to count

We lived near Kreuz Strasse

There was a little girl who lived there

She was maybe three years old

And she always wore a smile

But she was never outside

We never saw her except through a window

She would wave to us everyday

And always mouth “hallo” to each of us

And she was why we always walked that way

Then, the soldiers came

We kept walking by and one day she was gone

No one told us what happened

But we missed that little girl and her smiles

Seventy-five years later I still stand before the house

Staring up at that empty window

Looking for a smile that will never return