Tuesday, December 07, 2010

shoe memorial





I was downtown Monday morning, so I walked over to the art gallery to look at the Shoe Memorial. It commemorates the Montreal Massacre of 1989, in which 14 female students were killed by a gunman raging against women. It also commemorates each one of the girls and women who died in acts of violence in the Vancouver area in the past 20 years.

When I saw the shoes I imagined a girl or woman standing in each pair. The old courthouse steps were crowded with smiling women, alive with vibrant energy. I thought of the lost potential of all of those lives.

A volunteer talked to me about the memorial and gave me some pamphlets. You can check out this website for information and suggestions.

question: why do people hurt people?

mompoet - perplexed

1 comment:

Pearl said...

that makes it quite visible yet understated and powerful. a poetic response to the memories.