We bent small strips
of metal into ribbons
and painted them the
color of hope
We twisted
yellow silk ribbons
and pinned them
on our black shirts
With black markers
we wrote 738
across masking tape
the markers go back into the drawer
The tape
back into the bin
reserved for school projects
and Hanukkah crafts
What do we do
with these yellow ribbons
tied to the memory
of October 7th ?
A tiny metal
symbol of solidarity
threads that connected us
to Israel
Yellow pins perforated our shirts
and our attention
as we made coffee and attended meetings
as we picked up and dropped off our children at school
Yellow ribbon
Unraveled at our feet
in heaps of pain
and joy
Let’s gather it all
bunches of sunshine-colored strands
swaying behind us
as we walk with our arms full
to the genizah
Fulfilling the urge
to safeguard what is left
of painful memories
too precious to destroy
but perfect for burial
