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Poetrymann — Auschwitz
Published: 2012-06-04 12:17:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 3650; Favourites: 175; Downloads: 26
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Description
I saw you in the ghetto -with your yellow star,
pulling teeth
and collecting shoes.
And then on the last train
to Birkenau
(or maybe it was Belsen),
hunched in a boxcar
like cows to market,
our shadows old
and unspeakable
as the wheels
broke us down to the floor.
We drank our urine
and told the children
the train was an adventure
that did not need
their tears.
Survival is a funny thing-
not always for the fittest,
and conscience can be
a silent sniper.
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Comments: 145
I read over 120 books on the Holocaust, trying to wrap my mind around how such a thing happened in supposedly civilization times.
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Intense. And...mere adjectives seem to pale before this illumination of pierced spirits who found no redemption in their cold Hell.
A friend of a friend was a guest at my folks place several years ago for Christmas. And she had actually been a little girl in...Holland, I believe she said, when the the Nazi's occupied it. Her parents hid Jews in their house for several years, without ever being exposed/discovered. As a matter of fact, they were so secretive, that this woman said even she had no clue that Jews were in her home, so well hidden were they.
Her parents informed her of this later on. And she told about the Gestapo coming in and looking through the house. I sincerely cannot grasp the level of fear that that would incite in an adult, much less a child.
Again, well done, Brendan. It's sad that so many of the younger generation today is so nonchalant about history, thinking it is irrelevant to them since it occurred so long ago.
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I deeply apologize for responding so late to this! A number of years ago, I read over 100 books on the Holocaust...trying to find a reason why it happened in supposedly civilizied times. To quote my deceased mother "Does the word evil mean anything to you"? Such a simple and painful response. I read about Birkenau, Treblinka, Buchenwald, Dora, Ravensbruk....you name it, just trying to find an answer....
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sad history/poem...
Seriously why cant people live in peace!?!!!!
I saw a picture on Instagram from a jewish boy and he wrote: I hope that all muslims die!
I was shocked with his comment! seriously i am fed up with people like him!!!!!
do you know how much jewish+muslim childeren died! from this meaningless fight!
I think that all believes are for peace! but you know it is all from the stupid politics!
My dutch history teacher told this to me: after the second world war europian jewish people didnt feel home in germany and another several countries anymore(they felt betrayed by the people who helped the nazi's).. and that english people felt guilty after what the stupid hitler did to the europian jewish people... because they were too late to help(and they knew about the book of hitler).. soo the english people said: we give you a country.... (israel where the isralian muslims and isralian jewish people lived together in PEACE<3)
So all the european jewish people went to israel! and then the fight started between jewish people and the muslim people in israel.) because the jewish people said to the isralian muslims: go away here, this is our country not yours!.... Is that true? my dutch history teacher told that... and he said: the americans want not israilian jewish and isralian muslims live togheter... because the jewish people in america are really rich ..and that 50% banks are from the jewish people... if america does something wrong, the jewish people will ruin the economy??
is that bullshit? I just want to know the truth...
and he said that some muslims arent angels too.. but the most good isralian jewish and isralian muslim people want to live in peace! its all because of the stupid politics....
and i saw jewish people protesting against bombing gaza on tv! that made me cry!! its feels good when people want to make peace!
and wooow I found this picture on google: [link] .......
Please tell me the right things if you know something about this subject! I just dont want to hear this story from one person!
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I am a few hours shy of a Doctorate in Holocaust studies. I can tell you what went on in most camps, but really know little about the history of the Jews or the politics of the region today.
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oh okxD
It's terrible what they did do to them on the camps!:< I've seen several documentaries on national geographic with dutch subs!
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Many thanks - I appreciate that very much!
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You're featured here![link]
Also, girl as color is featured
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Thanks very much - I appreciate that!
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Quote, "and conscience can be a silent sniper." End quote.
I truly wish this quote was mine. I cherish this bit of the poem. I recall you saying the same a few times regarding a few things in my work. You too have achieved such quality so as to make people wish a part of something you wrote was theirs.
However, I don't understand the purpose of excluding the last line from being with the ending part of the poem. Nonetheless, great work as always!
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I set it off because it is a departure from the tone, style and content of the rest of the poem. The poem is about the collaborators - Jews who worked with the Nazis in the ghettos and camps in an attempt to save their families and selves. They ended up dying anyway.
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Frankly, the transition is not as smooth as I would like.
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Sometimes a change made against your gut feeling can be a bad thing but not all the time. I don't think it's that bad though. You decide.
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It's impossible for you to write something bad, isn't it? This is so moving, I absolutely adore Holocaust poetry and despise it at the same time. The words can be so beautiful, and their meaning so ugly, and that is what you have achieved here *adds yet another of your stories to my favorites*
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Trust me when I say that I have written plenty of god awful poems! But thanks!
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*Laughs at this very much* And so have I, mostly my oldest works that now I cannot make sense of with new eyes. That's very sad. It really is amusing and messed up at the same time.
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Thanks very much - I truly appreciate the support!
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Thanks very much - I truly appreciate the support!
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Very powerful, and sad.
I got to visit Auschwitz this winter, it was a truly haunting experience.
This piece shows it well.
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Thanks! I truly appreciate the support!
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Many thanks - I appreciate it very much.
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So eloquent, sad and beautiful... brilliant and haunting work....
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Many thanks - I appreciate it very much.
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Many thanks - I appreciate it!
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I had to come back to this a few times; it's such a heavy piece. But beautifully done.
(sorry, I still can't think of the right comment)
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That's okay. It's a hard subject to even think about.
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Thanks. I still cannot work out how so many people went blindly along...mass hysteria?
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Perhaps. But we can't forget about the resistance that *was* there, like the White Rose.
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I think the defining incident was during the last days of the Warsaw Ghetto as it was being liquidated by the Nazis. A handful of Jews with a handful of assorted weapons had the enemy on the run for four weeks.
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Wow--I had no idea! (I feel like I should've known that, one of my double-majors is History...) I can never emphasize how much I admire those deeds of courageous resistance to such murderous, hateful acts.
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this poem is wonderful such a terrible place and memory for those this really touched me I am so happy people still remember and speak of this even though it was so aweful
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If we forget history, we are doomed to repeat it - many thanks.
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Very very true your welcome
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A very apt description of a most horrible time and place.
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Thanks. I read a lot of books on the subject, trying to find answers as to how and why...
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