In 1989 a wall came down
And opened up the Iron Curtain
Demolishing a symbol for
Suppression, oppression, isolationism
A pivotal point to a free world
Now a relic from a sordid past

Humanity’s divisive shame
Politics at its worst
Walls will never stand against
Humans at their best
Because humans at their best
Know no boundary

So now a piece of the wall
Is displayed on a wall
Not as a souvenir
But as a reminder
To never let history repeat itself

My dad had the good fortune to be in Berlin on business when the Berlin Wall came down. On this occasion my mom has decided to go with him so the two of them were able to watch this historical moment unfold together. Families that had been torn apart were once again reunited as people were free to flow across what had been a blocked militarized zone for twenty eight years. My dad worked for the U. S. Department of Agriculture and he spent a good part of his career traveling the world to visit other governments in an effort to grow enough food to feed starving populations. He was one of the few people allowed into Poland in the early rumblings of Solidarity which is where the first steps towards freedom took place. Our family had a unique perspective on what was really going on behind the Iron Curtain because my dad had colleagues that were living through it. So after having lived a good part of their lives in the post World War II Cold War era, it was serendipitous that my parents were able to see the wall come down first hand, to bear witness to the end of a very dark part of human history.

In response to Patrick Jennings Pic and a Word Challenge #45: Walls and #46: Family and the Weekly Photo Challenge: Details