Holocaust Memorial Day - Thanks Kiera!

On the 27th of January, it is National Holocaust Memorial Day. This is when we pay respect to the millions of people who were murdered during the Holocaust in the Second Word War. This was when over 6 million Jews were taken to concentration camps which, more often than not, led to their cruel deaths.

Recently we have seen a slide show in assembly which inspired me to write a poem on the happenings. I decided to write it as if it was happening to me and then at the end using a quote from her tombstone. The poem happens over about 5 minutes but it makes horrific statements about life in one of the camps: Auschwitz. Here is the poem:

Paving Our Road to Hell

Uniforms bearing the badge of death,
Identities gone, only a number left.
Upon us: the coldest form of discrimination
The cure for hatred; mass extermination
Pools of blood on the floor; gas in the air,
The hunger, the pain, is too much to bear.

9 years old, orphaned in this blood hungry war.
I can feel what they’re doing, but don’t know what for.
My ears are immune to the guns and the wails
But the grief of my loss still pierces me like nails
My mother was gassed, my father was shot.
My brother was starved, I was left distraught.

The cells hold the ghosts of the lucky, it may seem
Because, compared to this, death is a dream.
I look at the walls, see the lives taken here
I can feel their surrender, I can smell their fear.
They hate us, they beat us, cruel words they yell
Their inhumane punishments pave our road to Hell

Here she lies, death by fire
Pinned as a thief, a crook, a liar
Her faith in her God caused them to retaliate
Left her with no choice, no chance to debate.
Her skin did not burn alone as she fell
Her faith and trust in God enflamed as well.

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