Purple Triangle

It's an emblem of ordinary men
with extraordinary heart:

an inverted triangle, dyed purple
worn on top of the heart

but blood-red stained
from bullet holes across the shirt,

breaking up the pattern
of blue stripes the inmate wore.

In Sachenhausen or in Auschwitz,
they fell

but only the bodies are unstable
like an inverted triangle

made weaker by a Nazi kick
or an SS blow.

For now, it seems
like ancient history:

a prison garb
with a purple triangle.