Poems of the Holocaust
1. Holocaust
by Barbara Sonek
We played, we laughed
we were loved.
We were ripped from the arms of our
parents and thrown into the fire.
We were nothing more than children.
We had a future. We were going to be lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers.
We had dreams, then we had no hope.
We were taken away in the dead of night like cattle in cars, no air to breathe smothering, crying, starving, dying.
Separated from the world to be no more.
From the ashes, hear our plea.
This atrocity to mankind can not happen again.
Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen away.
by Barbara Sonek
We played, we laughed
we were loved.
We were ripped from the arms of our
parents and thrown into the fire.
We were nothing more than children.
We had a future. We were going to be lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers.
We had dreams, then we had no hope.
We were taken away in the dead of night like cattle in cars, no air to breathe smothering, crying, starving, dying.
Separated from the world to be no more.
From the ashes, hear our plea.
This atrocity to mankind can not happen again.
Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen away.
I chose this poem because it shows how people can have a great life and then all of a sudden someone bad comes and ruins their lives. Also I chose this because it shows that the mood of the book Night has a sad and tragic mood.
2. Do not stand at my grave and weep
By. Mary Eliezabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
By. Mary Eliezabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
I chose this poem because it show that Elie Wiesel survived the concentration camps and it also shows that the story took place in a horrible place with a lot of violence. Also it show that the memory that Elie kept can never be forgotten and can never die.
3. Auschwitz
By: Charles N Whittaker
The semiquaver chugging of the train on the track
And the people on board who will never go back
And the terror in the eyes of all the young ones to go
With no one knowing as the train comes to slow
Those men at the station as the ramps drop down
Where humanity lost is the only crippled sound
Hope gone for those who stand behind the hard sharp wire
And the smoke in the towers rises just a little higher
And the blue ink stabs a little harder in the skin
Above the veins of despair where murder let it in
And the terror in the eyes of all those about to leave
Another train on the track no last minute reprieve
And the slow, cro...chet chugging of the train on the track;
And the people on board. Who will ne...ver go.
Back.
By: Charles N Whittaker
The semiquaver chugging of the train on the track
And the people on board who will never go back
And the terror in the eyes of all the young ones to go
With no one knowing as the train comes to slow
Those men at the station as the ramps drop down
Where humanity lost is the only crippled sound
Hope gone for those who stand behind the hard sharp wire
And the smoke in the towers rises just a little higher
And the blue ink stabs a little harder in the skin
Above the veins of despair where murder let it in
And the terror in the eyes of all those about to leave
Another train on the track no last minute reprieve
And the slow, cro...chet chugging of the train on the track;
And the people on board. Who will ne...ver go.
Back.
I chose this poem because it represents when Elie was going to Auschwitz. Also it shows how the Nazis would dehumanized the prisoners by giving them numbers, and how the they would treat the prisoners like they weren't human.
4. Arbeit Macht Frei
By: Grzegorsz Chmielewski
On the cold stone, lies another stone
In this forgotten fortress of sins still unatoned
Where many have died in groups yet still alone
Left by their societies, they were on their own
They've never seen a morning as beautiful as when
They queued on the snow (like every now and then)
I wonder if they knew that this morning was their last?
That gas would take their future, erasing all their past?
Did they hear the God, when they drew their last breath?
Were their troubled souls, purified by death?
Did they rise above the camp, the sorrow and the pain?
Or did their life extinguish, like a fire in the rain?
I wonder how many have crossed this accursed gate?
How many have experienced such cruelty and hate?
How many had the strength to look up at the sign?
Work makes you free - "Arbeit macht frei"
By: Grzegorsz Chmielewski
On the cold stone, lies another stone
In this forgotten fortress of sins still unatoned
Where many have died in groups yet still alone
Left by their societies, they were on their own
They've never seen a morning as beautiful as when
They queued on the snow (like every now and then)
I wonder if they knew that this morning was their last?
That gas would take their future, erasing all their past?
Did they hear the God, when they drew their last breath?
Were their troubled souls, purified by death?
Did they rise above the camp, the sorrow and the pain?
Or did their life extinguish, like a fire in the rain?
I wonder how many have crossed this accursed gate?
How many have experienced such cruelty and hate?
How many had the strength to look up at the sign?
Work makes you free - "Arbeit macht frei"
I chose this poem because it represent how bad the concentration camps were and how inhumain they were. Also the prisoners never know if it is their last day there and how the Nazis would use gas chambers to murder the prisoners.
5. First they came.
By: Pastor Martin Niemoller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
By: Pastor Martin Niemoller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
I chose this because it shows how the Nazis did it because of hate and because the prisoners were different then them. It also shows how history can repeat itself; for example these days someone may treat someone who is homeless less then them.