TO: Victims
FROM: Management
RE: Current claim
We regret that our associates
(whom we never met)
raped your women
(so beautiful)
and gunned your men down in the streets
(violence a continuing problem).
We’re sorry you were hanged from trees
and rinsed with Zyklon B.
We do not condone
removal of gold fillings
or the use of skin for lampshades
under any circumstances.
Despite current efforts to recycle,
this was wrong.
Allowances were made
(we’re told)
when you did what was requested
and attempts were made
(we understand)
to separate families only when
economic or political stability
deemed necessary.
You were too strong (the manual labor)
too numerous (the high fertility),
too beloved by your beloveds (hymns so spiritually uplifting),
we feared that you’d slit throats.
We had no choice but to crush the sparks
before they turned into conflagration.
As far as territory is concerned,
our policy is clear:
ancestral lands belonged to
someone else’s ancestors at one time.
Dust to dust, most scientists agree,
so who can say to whom
the dust you claim as yours
should now belong?
A slippery slope.
We realize past actions
may have caused you pain
and birthed resentment
that is hard to shake,
but past is past
and now it is incumbent
on us all to forge ahead.
Unfortunately, it is not possible
for us to compensate you
at the present time
for preexisting conditions.
Bylaws mandate that we
not accept responsibility
for events predating our agreement
(which, in fairness, this administration did not draft).
Thank you for your inquiry.
We appreciate your understanding in advance.
Please accept our heartfelt apologies
for past suffering and any discomfort
you may currently be experiencing.
Our deepest and most sincere condolences
for your loss.
With thoughts and prayers,
The Management
