Where once we had school -a tall building, the gathering of books, thoughts- Now a hollowing out. The stale wind blows through barbed wire, remnants of horror, intended to remain To remember This hollowed out place A school becomes a building A building becomes chambers Chambers become cells - all paths lead to the Hill of Poisonous Trees, where many red rings hang; symbols to replace horror with Remembrance. A school becomes a building A memory becomes a memorial; But the trees grow despite the poisoned hills. One day I hope they outgrow this place; and yet I want Strychnine Hill to stay - If it is the only way to remember, To memorialize the school that was raized.
This poem is about the Cambodian genocide museum memorial site, Tuol Seng.