Resistance
Hannah Senesh,
Violette Szabo,
Say their names.
They were among others
Who are remembered now
But not when they fought.
They did not fight
To be remembered
But rather, to enable
Others to live.
They gave their lives and
All that they had to look forward to,
Not knowing if they would have
Any more pleasure.
Hannah Senesh
Under captivity,
Kept a diary.
She wrote toward the end:
“I loved the warm sunlight.”
She refused to reveal
The secret codes the Nazis wanted.
Violette Szabo
Had a young daughter
Whom she never saw again.
Starving in a prison camp,
She kept up her spirits,
Almost to the end.
Both women died at age 23,
From a torrent of bullets.
Not knowing if
Anything they did would count.
I don’t know if I could be
A Resistance fighter.
I want to be remembered.
I don’t want to fight in the dark.
I have the needs
Of someone who has lived in the sunlight
And refuses to give it up.
Some say just living
Under pressure is resisting.
In that case, I resist.
To the enemy, I don’t remember codes.
Remember me, remember us,
Remember freedom
And those who resist.
