My apologies for the disappearance over the last few days...Ben has been off galavanting with old university friends, trying to re-live his "glory days", and I've been perfecting my sweeping on the ice rink of our local curling club. I can assure you that we'll get back to the funny very shortly, but in the meantime, here's something completely different... My mother, Fela (Ross) Rosenwasser (Yoskovitz nee Pacanowska) is a holocaust survivor and we arrived on Canada’s shores in 1948 when I was one year old. In the early sixties she wrote this poem. I’m not sure if it’s good poetry or not, but coming from someone who went through one of the darkest periods in the 20th century and had been speaking English for only about 15 years, I think it’s quite something. She asked me to transcribe it to electronic format and I told her I’d post it on the Internet for all to see. Auschwitz by Fela Ross It was a hazy September morning, And the sun was peeking through the clouds. When hundreds of trains came to a stop, Trains for miles and miles. Pouring out people, no greetings, no smiles. A great number of trains had come to this station. A voyage of no return was our destination. No happy faces rushing here and there No luggage needed only the things that you wear. In a countless line of people We stood deprived, in fear and fright Waiting for a verdict without a trial. Mother cuddling her child said, “Don’t be mad soon we’ll know If we get life or we get death.” Who will live to see a tomorrow? The morning sun or smiling moon? In their hands lie our fates to rule To carry out orders, heartless and cruel. Why do sheep bleat when to slaughter they go? Why can’t they be like people, silent? Hearts wrapped in a veil of terror While partings went on without any violence. What right do they have to take possession of our souls? Why were we chosen to give life for free? For those are the tyrants skilled in their deadly art, For them, an easy game, like an open cart. And pressing tightly my mother to my side Among thousands we stood In that judgment line. How powerful was the wish for a miracle to come Or heaven and earth to split in a deadly revenge. But nothing of this, nothing was in sight all around Only grief and sorrow and minutes of life to count. And to the zone of death went also my mother. Useless was pleading for her life. With her went my painful heart. Her memory to carry in that empty part. Old people, young people, children with their mothers There she went with all the others. A world of love and affection swept away in a tide Crushed and crumbled and gone from my sight. Blindly we followed those pointing guns, Driven on a road made of human blood. Faces hungry and skinny everywhere. Human destruction was felt in the air. The sun was burning our hairless heads, While walking on a hot gravel road. Then sitting closely to each other on a wet, dirty soil A pit of half-naked bodies curled in a coil. We are forgotten and erased from the globe, Degraded morally and robbed of our rights. Nothing but torment in one of its kind Agony of body and agony of mind. And up above over our heads, Silhouettes of guards moved back and forth. The sound of boots cut the still of the night. And their guns reflected in the flickering light. Old people, young people, children with their mothers Why shouldn’t we go with all the others? Let’s not fear death sure to come For the electric wire let’s make a run. And when that sleepless night was about to decline Surprising it was to see a tomorrow. The moon was slowly being replaced by the sun. Stiff and chilled we got up without a sound And in the mist of the daybreak we stood in despair. Free of sins and unguilty souls. Horrified eyes looked up high For rescue and salvation from the sky. Unaware of the misery that hung in the air. To a dead march we were driven again Walking and limping in tired bare feet Till dragging pain made them bleed. A few lost birds were flying above Singing freely with no hope in their tunes They seemed to say, “Hey down below, Cruel world holds no promise for you at all.” Are we souls waiting to be lifted to heaven? Or are we bodies forgotten to fall? But mercy no, we still have our lives There would be no rifles with pointing knives. And as we walked, tired and beat It wasn’t food we were thinking of. The sun was giving us all its fire And the need for water became a desire. “Water, water”, we heard silent cries. But water was not seen for miles. “Dear, oh God,” we all prayed in vain We will outstretch our tongues for a bit of rain. Give me the power to step from this march Or a bullet to meet to bring an end to this torch “Don’t be a coward,” somebody said, “Our hope must be stronger than the will of death.” At sundown we stopped at a grassless field Where the cool of the night was about to fall. Then instead of the gas chamber we were brought to the station Where so many trains had rolled with such sad destination. Trains for miles waited to be filled Ready to take us from that hell on earth. Maybe we were spared from certain death For unknown fears that lay ahead. (Technorati Tags: auschwitz, holocaust, poetry, holocaust survivor)