Arbeit Macht Frei

When I happened upon the photograph of the entrance taken

in late 1940, I was greeted by an imposing steel sign

raised above a locked prison gate.

All who saw Auschwitz read work makes you free.

 

The Nazi welcome banner offered the outside world a glimpse

of propaganda, proof of only a simple labor camp �"

the only evidence of illusion the presence

of an upside-down B in the word ARBEIT.

The late hour, combined with a glaring halogen light,

masked well the barbed wire-lined fence tops;

the small, wooden Halt sign provided the intended impression

that someone cared enough to mention the possibility of electric shock.

 

Visible through the chain and metal

stood crumbling brick buildings in need of repair,

their windows cracked and, clearly, not transparent enough,

for none could see inside as they waited for the bar to rise.