A Fear of Smoking Chimneys

this poem came after a prolonged chat with a Holocaust survivor. She talked about how, even now, she has a fear of smoking chimneys. Also, and perhaps more striking in my memory, she talked about how the tape worms that tried to get out of people's bodies

 

We were bitter at God

for/getting us in this.

 

Moments came and went

like faces, shallow and

barren of hope or

kindness, we were

nothings.

 

Blankness covered

our sleeping bodies and

sometimes we just

forgot to wake

up.

 

I write we because one

could not survive but

collectively we crawled

out of certainty.

 

Praying only does so much

to quell the worms in your

body from trying to

escape. Some thought

they were our souls

going to heaven but

heaven is a word used

when they aren’t watching

and you feel compelled to

lie.

Reviews

[Collette]

So tragically beautiful. I think you captured the essence of the Holocaust quite well. While most of us will never understand the depravity, you have given us a small window of insight directly from the source. Amazing, really. There is nothing frilly or elaborate about this poem, as it should be. The direct language conveys the meaning exactly as it should be, and not as some sugar-coated distant memory. If anything, the reality of this poem serves to make the entire history of the Holocaust more than just a text-book chapter and some dreamy survivor story.
EXTREMELY clever:
We were bitter at God
for/getting us in this.

Really, I feel somewhat foolish reviewing your work. I can't ever seem to find something amiss with any of it. Great job.

[Azaradelle]

Chilling.

This was an extremely powerful piece.
Simply written, yet unique in style.
I have no critisism whatsoever.

Beautiful in all its darkness.
Well done.

Yrs.

Azaradelle.