Never again. Nie wieder. Plus jamais.

A old man wanted to thank a American Soldier.

Never again. Nie wieder. Plus jamais.

(The old man spoke with tears.
Told me it must never happen again.
He  told me he watched his brothers and parent walk into death arms.
He could not do anything.)

I was sitting alone at the train station in Stuttgart in 1978.
 A old man sat at my table and offered his hand.


I took it and asked what does he want?

He told me. "On this day 33 years ago.
A American soldier broke down  the wall of  the concentration camp.
Picked him off the floor and held him. "


The soldier hand fed him because he was too weak to feed himself. 
The soldier took care of him for three months. 
He was very weak and never asked the soldier name.


He wanted to thank a American.
By  buying a American  Soldier a  meal today.

He showed me his mark.
A tattoo he held proudly.


Forced numbers put on  men and woman showing they were  Jews.


I told him. "Please sit with me.
I would be honor to eat with him."

I listen to stories of good times and bad.
Tears came to his old eyes when he told me.
How they separate him from his family at the train station.
He never saw them again.


His family made the mistake of hoping for common sense and sanity.

Most of his family went to Auschwitz.
He never saw them again.


He was lucky being strong and young.
He went to work camps in Germany.

He lived in Switzerland now.
He  learn to appreciate everyday being alive.
He whispered " I still don't understand the hate for us from the Germans."
 

I said very little.
I had great respect for this man.


 He taught me what we can endure to stay alive.

His last words stays with me.


 As he shook my hand.

 
His eyes filled with tears.


Told me.

"I  pray everyday this Never again happens again.
 Nie Wieder."

He left me sitting alone.
Thinking how hateful and cold this world can be.

                                      Coyote

                                     November 2008 

 

Author's Note

I was a 19 year Soldier in Germany.That day I knew I was taught all life is important.
Coyote

Reviews

[Dani The Unreviewed]

This one is very well written. I've learned about all this in history class. The jewish people were in an extremely dangerous, and cruel situation. The nazi government began with prosecuting them way before the second world war. They were sent to "work camps" I'd say the proper word does not exist to describe the inhuman treatment they were put through. They were forced to work till they died. Killed using gas, shot. There was a Hungarian poet, who was also jewish. He and a lot of others were taken from one camp to another, and finally they were forced to dig out their own mass grave, and then the soldiers shot them, straight in the grave. Nasty stuff. Anyway, I read his poems, all of them. I wish someone would have translated them, so i could show you. 100 points.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you. World been at war for 10,000 years. The poem told of a man who survived hell and stay human.

[Dani The Unreviewed]

You are welcome.

[Rene Velez]

A nice Ode to an old soul, a chance meeting of hope and respect, well done Coyote, it's a story that needs to be told so people never forget the tragedies of the past.

[Lovely Lady]

What a day. If we could all be so blessed to have just one day as such. Your writings always move me, but this one is beyond movement. Always~
~lovely♥lady~

[Alvin L. Kathembe]

"He leave me sitting alone.
Thinking how hateful and cold this world can be."
as usual, a very deep and profound poem...I could feel the respect and admiration you had for this man, a casualty, nothing but collateral damage from wicked men's plans. The Holocaust surely is one of the darkest moments of human history, and the lowest of the lows man has ever stooped to...great poem, such a thing should never be forgotten, and should never, never happen again...but hatred is everywhere, as is Death. Just look at Darfur.
Nie wieder.

[Lily Mae]

Tears are just pouring down my cheeks. I don't think it was a chance meeting. Maybe his story was to be shared in this way for all of us to read and for that single moment be reminded of what very well can happen. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.. for me it allowed me to remember the survivors for a moment and send out love to them all ~ x

[Phibby Venable]

as always your heart shows in your work...this is so compassionate and has
such a depth of understanding. i don't know why the persecution happened but I hope it never happens again. I am so glad you brought this to light.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

You learned a powerfully valuable lesson to carry with you forever that day. This piece touched my soul. As a survivor of tragedy myself I know that we survivors can reach out and show a light to others know matter what has been done to us. This is excellent.

[Linear]

Mans inhumanity to man...........Still goes on, many of my broyhers and sisters died in those camps, yet many survived to tell their tales.

A few days ago I heard a tale of soldiers in the congo, who hacked of a young girl arms and then proceeded to rape her while she lay bleeding to death, not sattisfied with this they then tried to force her father to rape his own daughter, when he refused they beat him, gouged out his eyes then held a gun to his head and blew his brains out..........man will they ever learn

[abhas]

thanks for sharing this experience of yours... may be we all could learn something out of it... funny how little interactions and incidences can change the way you think...

[An owl on the moon]

This was so full of depth and humanity... a passion for living... for being alive. It simply took my breath away. What a profoundly moving message... Thank you for sharing.. How I want to learn from those words as well...