Out of Ashes

do not go to Lidice

unless your heart is strong

else it will break in pieces

for standing taller than in life

varying in size, build and height

eighty two children cast in bronze

a monument to defy what took place

a village emptied in its entirety 

razed to the ground in reprisal

should you dare look further

into those haunted innocent faces 

you will see, confusion, misery

no teddy bear comfort there

little hands clutch elder siblings

in bewildered despair

do not go to Lidice

unless your heart is strong

do not go there

Reviews

[Lorry]

Had to look up the name and came across a page with such impact for its brevity, just like you have done here.
It said they tried to wipe it out of existence and failed, asit has been fully restored as a memorial and that many places across the globe now share its name in a show of unity.
A beautiful gesture that defies the hatred once visited upon them.
I think I'll give it a miss Chris, but beautifully penned.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thank yous Lorry. Pleased you looked it up and know the full story of what took place there. It's important we don't forget what happened. The least I could do was write a poem.

Chris

[Davidgeo]

Lidice really was/is a true horror story of extreme fascism that not enough people know about. Even more so, a story not enough people would ever want to know about, which you illustrate very skillfully here.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks for your review. I appreciate your thoughts.

Chris.

[emmajoy]

This poem is an extraordinary memorial in its own right, Christine. People might turn away from the anguish and pain, the agony and inhumanity of what happened to that small village BUT it lives on.. For me your words point the way there. and to the many Holocaust museums. If we turn away, we're thinking more of selves than those who died. T hose are my feelings, many disagree: to each his or her own.

Your word's are magnificent. My tears are.. but what the hell, I'm alive, those dear people, those sweet darling babies aren't. Are they?

[Chris Shaw]

Always important to remember what took place, even if we can't bring ourselves to visit. Many thanks Em for your thoughts.

Chris

[emmajoy]

I've been to the Holocaust museums and see grown men break down.. What happened in the past was evil and Lidice's history proves it. A wonderful poem, Chris.

[Beccy]

A harrowing tale of how incredibly cruel our species can be; and also a bleak reminder that the slaughter of the innocent, especially our children, still continues to this day.

In 1994, on the eve of Rwanda’s genocide against the Tutsis, Radio Mille Collines, in Kigali, broadcast an unbelievable venomous message: 'To kill the big rats, you have to kill the little rats.' After that and in less than four months, almost three hundred thousand children were slashed, hacked, gunned, or burned to death.

In war torn Yemen it is estimated that at least 85,000 under-fives have died since 2015, a figure that numbs the mind; and in Syria, mainly at the behest of Assad and Putin, (the both of them, pure evil dressed in Armani, ) so many children are being killed every day, it's hard to keep count.

We do not deserve this lovely place.

Beccy.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Beccy. It still goes on doesn't it? There is no end to the cruelty of our species. Thank you for sharing and for your visit.

Chris

[Dave]

So, so strong! Surely you must have gone there. It must have shaken you to your core. I taught U.S. History and especially W.W.II. The horrors of the Nazi is often beyond comprehension. My father helped liberate one of the concentration camps. I was young at the time and didn't fully appreciate the horrors he was telling. Later, as I studied more and more I came to fully understand what he had told me. He described one instance where he carried a victim, still alive, out of the barracks. He told me this man was so skinny that he could feel his own hand on the mans back while his hand was on his stomach.

Please take care - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Dave. No I have not been there. I would find it too distressing. I suck up negative energy. I would find such a place overwhelming. We do have to remember though. Thank you for sharing your own Dad's experiences. How awful that must have been for him. Take care.

Chris

[.]

A lovely poem, here, dear Chris. I am well aware of the horrific relevance of Lidice and the massacre of all its residents by the scourge of Nazi Germany, all on the basis of preconceived ideas of threats and harbouring of resistance members. Sadly, it is just another scar left on the history of Europe by the horrors of the Nazi regime. So many such incidents have littered the continent, some well known, others not so much. At the least, your poem informs those who are unaware of the significance of Lidice and lets the memory of those who lost their lives linger on. With statues and poetry their tragic legacy is assured. A love poems that educate on little known incidents of history and your poem does that here and does it wonderfully well. Kudos for this one. Very much enjoyed! :))

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Jamila thank you so much. The least I can do is write about horrors such as this. It is important that we don't forget. All good wishes to you and thank you for your continued encouragement and support. Means a great deal.

Chris

[augustus]

Proving just how Nazism was so despicable. We should never forget the horrors of what they did to further their aims!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Augustus for your visit. Not an easy topic to write about, but one that we certainly need to remember.

Chris

[Moonie]

A very powerful write! I had to search that town and came across articles detailing the absolute atrocities that the people were subjected to. I was recently writing an article on Medical Ethics and went through the Nazi medical experiments; reading them left me utterly unnerved. I still feel sick to the stomach whenever I think of it. No amount of time can heal the horrors that these people went through, it's heart wrenching to even look at those life like statues. Thank you for writing about them and making us all remember them. ♡

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Moonie, thank you for your interesting response, and for your research to find out more about this subject. It is thoroughly depressing to know what our species is capable of. We need to remember that at all times.

Chris

[AJNJ]

I could never. Not after reading this poem. I always wonder how anyone can tour Auschwitz too. I'd plunge into unending depression. Not criticsing anyone, but as you said it needs a very strong heart. No words for how dark and merciless humans can become. This is a very moving poem, Ms. Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

I feel the same as you. I would suck up all that negative energy and feel overwhelmed. I admire people who can face up to it. I prefer to remember from a distance. Thank you Pestonjee for your thoughtful visit.

Chris

[AJNJ]

You’re very welcome :)

[gram linski]

powerful sombre poem, Chris, the statues of the children particularly poignant, you have made everyone who has read this think about those horrors, your compassion and humanity shine through in this heart breaking poem

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks gram. We can't forget this stuff. We need to be constantly aware of just how awful our species can be

Chris