A day at the pool
August in Cologne
My new red bathing suit
A green beach ball
My hair cut short
Scratches on my knees
My wide childish eyes
Dedicated to a cone of ice cream
Hot sun on my tanned skin
Nothing but innocent happiness.
Forbidden to remember
Forbidden to forget.

A summer night in Tuscany
I wore a white dress
My hair was braided
My two front teeth missing
I didn’t think I knew the world
And I didn’t think the world knew me
I was young and free
A light breeze on my bare legs
The sound of a grasshopper’s concert in the dark
A full moon above.
Forbidden to remember
Forbidden to forget.

A winter day in Berlin
My feet in skates
Moving soundless over the frozen lake
I feel like flying
The cold air whistling in my long braids
My friends yelling and laughing
The perfect day
For a twelve- year-old
I glide over ice
And my mind stands still
The smell of fire in the air
The taste of cold dry air on my tongue.
Forbidden to remember
Forbidden to forget.

A hot afternoon in California
School is over
It’s just me and the ball
I dribble
I kick
The ball by my side
Like an ever-lasting best friend
The joy of motion
The salty taste of sweat
The smell of mowed grass.
Forbidden to remember
Forbidden to forget.

The way I’ve come
The places I’ve lived
The people I’ve loved
Forbidden to remember
Forbidden to forget.