1931, a year too young for Yale
he was sent for a finishing year abroad
we read the letters he wrote to his mother
& jottings in his day book — HitlerJugend
marching every afternoon, weekend
outings with Werner, Friedrich, Birgit, Uta
frolicking nights of Wurst und Bier —
his sister Alice said, he came back changed
1941, a new uniform, Navy lieutenant
the freshly minted MD shipped off to war
our mother described his nightmares
how she would shake, wake him, silence
his screams
he beat us for being what
he didn’t want, Heil Hitler, damn his eyes