From Wikipedia
He was a small man of pensionable age
unassuming,
smiling hesitantly, almost apologetic.
I was a young woman, my first time abroad on my own
and yet we connected
waiting in the queue to enter.
Would I show him around?
Would I explain what we were looking at?
Would I help?
I was honoured.
An old (to me, then) distinguished gentleman
entrusting his experience of this place
to me, but a girl, and not a native of Amsterdam.
Seriously, what could I offer him?
And yet, he insisted that the honour was all his.
And so, we inched forward,
sometimes in silence, sometimes not,
the silences becoming more meaningful
as he shared some of his history with me.
How he had lost his family in the horror that was
Hiroshima.
How he was the only survivor by chance,
by circumstance.
And so
every day was to be valued
every person he met was to be treated with kindness
everyone, everyone
deserved a good life.
Nobody was to be forgotten.
I was honoured
I was humbled
I was valued
I was not forgotten.
He gave my life more meaning on that day,
infused my experience of Anne Frank’s House
with so much more
than I had ever imagined.
Travel. It does that.
Today, over on dVerse Poetics, Lillian asks us to share our travel experiences in poetry form.
I have been to quite a few places in my adult life, I’ve been lucky to see many things, enjoy fine architecture, immerse myself in history, in culture, in other ‘worlds’, but this personal connection stands tall above them all. I am so pleased that I read Anne Frank’s diary over and over again from my pre-teen days so that I could colour this distinguished gentleman’s visit with some human colour, along with the facts. We met as strangers, and parted as friends who had shared part of our lives with each other. I am sure he has passed on now, but he will live on in my memory, for sure. To trust a young stranger with such an important visit (and he told me that he felt he had no choice but to visit Anne Frank’s House in his whirlwind trip to Europe) – well, I owe him a huge debt of honour.
Please do head on over to dVerse to discover more travel experiences and why not share your own?
Freya Writes... 
This is an absolutely incredible telling of a very meaningful time in your life. I thank you so very much for sharing.
And yes, having travelled to many countries and shared a meal with so many families in so many different cultures…travel is like that. We grow with travel.
Beautifully written. Thank you again.
Thank you for the inspiration, Lillian! Yes, it touched me deeply.
Wow, to be able to merge an experience of Hiroshima with Holocaust, traveling is not just places it just as much meetings.
Isn’t it just!
A great story well told, Freya!
What a perfect setting for this act of cross-cultural kindness. Thanks for sharing this memory of travel!
Thank you!
Absolutely stunning. Your words instantly sent my mind reeling into the past frozen forever in prose and images. I am moved to tears.
Thank you so much, Brian. It’s a memory I will always treasure.
Great story!
Thank you!
This is amazing. What a wonderful time of sharing with another person. Such an incredible juxtaposition of two very tragic events…Hiroshima and the genocide of the Jews. Excellent poem and it moved me to tears.
Thank you so much.Yes, it was an amazing time.
Thank you so much.
Yes, yes it does. Wonderfully, beautifully told.
Thank you so much!
For some a tragedy
makes vengeance
a travel mate..
for otHeRs
ViCtory..
As friEnd..
A UniVersal
waY noW oF
sayinG heLLo
wiTh eYes thaT
Love iN UniSonG’s
Home.. aWay from Lone.. to Love..:)
Oh this is so very raw and poignant.. I am truly overwhelmed by your words, Freya ❤
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Thank you, Sanaa
So may touching vignettes out here on the trail for this prompt. If this event is biographical, it is even more incredible; really captivating, haunting memory.
It is indeed biographical, Glenn. I still have to pinch myself a bit…
A beautiful recounting of a memory! We should journey in that way, Freya!
Thank you so much, Walt.
What a lovely, meaningful experience.
Thank you, Sue.
It broadens the mind and expands the heart with such experiences as these – that gentleman lives on
He does – and I’m glad I could share him and his gentle spirit. he was a lovely man.