The Holocaust - A Poem of Remembrance

The human sacrifices associated with War.

The Holocaust - A Poem of Remembrance 

Skeletal frames,

whose beaten hearts

once bore

the heft of Hitler's war,

who knelt en masse

(in silence quaked)

with stifled groans

beneath the veil of death.

Through reddened

tear-stained eyes

they prayed in vain

for meager crumbs of hardened,

moldy, bread.

While Kristallnacht 

fueled raging fires

that burned old memories

and future dreams.

Death trains droned,

broken bones were stacked,

as clinking gold

removed from teeth

shattered the serenity of night.

Yet, through the horror

of sacrificial lambs

an image loomed

within a vapor cloud:

Rachel, weeping drops of blood,

"My children are no more."

And what remained

were piles of sable ash,

(unmarked by granite stones)

that filled the earthen pits.

Yet, I still weep

for what was flesh

reduced to bone and cinder -

for those with silent tongues

who turned away.

If tears were oceans

mine have formed them all. 

Reviews

[LazerRays]

Oh. Wow. You blew me away. This event was a horrific reminder of how cruel the Human race is. My grandfather fought in ww2 he said the people living nearby didn't even realize that the concentration camps were there anymore because they were so used to the smell of burnt bodies. This was a sad poem that really brings to light truth...

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thanks for the feedback Sarah. I've read over 101 personal accounts, plus many books on World War II. I had to write the poem as a tribute to the victims and their relatives.

Thanks for reading and responding. :)

[emmajoy]

This is more than poetry, more than tribute or memorial. Your poems needs to be etched on space itself, to be a lasting reminder that it must never, never, NEVER happen again. Far more than the numbers generaly exclaimed died over the years, hidden so its said by local communities near the camps, who wondered about the smell floating day after day over their lives. But, see, they were living, at least that. Your poem is so intense it hurts.

'Yet, through the horror ~ of sacrificial lambs ~ an image loomed ~ within a vapor cloud: ~ Rachel, weeping drops of blood, ~ 'My children are no more.'


Two books, If this is a Man: Primo Levi; Holocaust Journey, Travelling in Search of the Past: Martin Gilbert

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you emmajoy, I am sincerely elated you enjoyed the poem and offered positive feedback.

You mentioned the two books. I have read them. Actually I read over 101 personal accounts and quite a few books on World War II, including Mein Kampf and Martin Gilbert's Holocaust: History of European Jews.

Of all the books I've read on the subject the two that were most impressive and made me cry were "I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson

The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow
by Krystyna Chiger and Daniel Paisner

These two were the best, even including "Night" by Elie Wiesel and Maus by Art Spiegelman.

And the best DVD on the subject is titled "Conspiracy" with Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci,and Colin Firthand. The movie features the "Wansee" Conference, where the final solution was determined around a conference table of top German officials.

I can't believe they have the full movie on You Tube.

Well, thanks again, for sharing your thoughts. :)

[john l smith]

Interesting, I just happened to have watched a number of programs on the holocaust and on the war in the pacific where similar atrocities were committed.
It is difficult to believe what humans do to each other
Good meaningful write
John

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you for your feedback, John.

Yes, while man's inhumanity to man was quoted by
Robert Burns in the 19th century it was trumpeted by Samuel von Pufendorf in the 17th century, where he stated, ""More inhumanity has been done by man himself than any other of nature's causes."

[.]

A profound write, indeed....

The horrors of the Holocaust will forever haunt our human existence. Your poem gives those millions of innocent victims of a maniacal genocide some small portion of justice, if only in the knowledge that their deaths were not in vain. They will always be remembered and the world will never forget the horrors they endured.

I enjoyed this poem immensely. Well written and one tackling a very important subject matter. Nicely conceived.

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you, Doodley, and I appreciate your commentary on the subject. Yes, it is my opinion, the Holocaust shroud definitely exhibited the bloody Burnsian fingerprint.

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Your poetically harrowing and poingnant wirte reminds the reader that around six million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. This included as many as 1 million Jewish children. But millions of other people that Hitler didn't like were killed as well; including Polish people, Catholics, Serbs and handicapped people. It is thought that the Nazis murdered as many as 17 million innocent people.

A historical fact we should never forget an strive to gurad against any ‘holocaust’ ever happening again today. :-)

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Yes, I am aware of the amount of people killed. I've read an enormous amount of books, including personal accounts, on the subject.

Thanks for your feedback. :)

[Chris Shaw]

You convey with skill and sharp imagery the horrors of that time. That time of shame which should be marked forever and not forgotten, as some would like us to do. Strong ending.

Chris

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you, Chris. I appreciate your feedback. Don't know if it's my computer, but it's taking so long for page to load. :)

[Serendipity Planet]

It really touched my heart as I am familiar to that subject
Good writing

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you, Xpressurself. Yes, it's a shame the subject portrays such a dark time in history. :)

[AYVID N]

So profound and moving. I sensed a gut wrenching grief, a haunting sadness, a wound that hasn’t closed with time,

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Yes, Divya, you have sensed correctly. I don't believe the wounds of those who have experienced that horror will ever heal.

I've read 125 personal accounts on the subject and this is why I have honored those who are victims as well as their relatives.

Thanks for such a nice review. :)

[John the Baptist]

A moving lamentation worthy of Jeremiah. The imagery is heartrending. Well done.

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Why thank you, John the Baptist. Your input is greatly appreciated. :)