his tongue severed .
After he watched a mass graveyard of bodies,
the stench filled the air,
the stench filled his senses.
How did he survive?
This black and white world,
where death came uninvited.
Sorrow the background of his childhood,
dreadful clouds over the ghetto.
He was only a child,
I wonder how he survived.
I wonder how he didn't lose his mind,
this pain throbbing in his heart.
When I think of him,
and hold him in my dreams,
I wonder of these many things.
His road filled with pain,
became a road of endurance,
I wrote this poem on April 5th 2011. I wrote it in dedication for my dad a survivor of the holocaust. Today is Yom Hashoah which is the Holocaust Remembrance Day. I will always remember those who perished and those that survived. They will always be in my heart.
wow ayala! a beautiful tribute to your dad and all who were affected by this horrific time in our history. a wonderful write...as usual
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you my friend
Hope
The start is VERY powerful. I love the poem, but especially the first 6 beautifully descriptive lines.
ReplyDeleteI'm always struck by those who survive what cripples and destroys others--each brutality, setback, loss and trial seems to make them not weaker or more damaged but more giving and strong...it's one of the things that gives me hope in a mostly disappointing human race, that there are always a few men and women like this holding up the light for the rest of us. An excellent poem, ayala.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute to your father. I am always amazed by the spirit that fuels the endurance to not only survive, but to go on living and, like your father, to raise a family, and keep on loving.
ReplyDeletethis is a beautiful rememberance of him...there are some things that just stick in me and i dont try to understand...the holocaust being one of them...and those that survived and still made a life...and more than a life...it is beautiful to see...
ReplyDeleteThis is very special. I love how tenderly you carry your dad in your heart and all the beautiful things you write about him. Thank you, also, for sharing about what day this is. So important...
ReplyDeletekeep writing of him. his life is an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteA great remembrance, such a thing should never have taken place, humans are pathetic in many ways as they destroy.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful poem for your dad ayala...the holocaust is one of the most terrible things that ever happened on this planet - glad that your dad not only survived it but was able to live a full life in spite of all the cruel things he has seen and experienced
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful Ayala ~ I admire people like your father who not only survived but lived a full and meaningful life ~
ReplyDeleteThose were sad and horrible days...I hope it will never be repeated ~
Amen-
ReplyDeleteThey are blessed forever!
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
> < } } (°>
bless you.
ReplyDeleteAyala - amazing. Your father went through so much - and only a child at the time too. Your love for him shines through in this post.
ReplyDeleteAn absolutely beautiful tribute to your dad!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is really a wonderful tribute. I love how it centers around that question because built into the question are respect and awe.
ReplyDeleteIt's 90-some degrees outside and here am I with chills and close to tears. Stunning, sad. How did they survive? I think of Victor Frankel and others like him.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ayala for sharing your deep compassion, your beautiful heart, your experience as a child growing up in the shadow of your father's pain, and as an adult looking back at your father's strength.
ReplyDeletebeautiful.
What a touching tribute to your father, Ayala, and perfect for this day.
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at how despite everything they went through, all of the horrors, the mass murder, the callous and inhumane destruction of other humans, I am always touched and amazed that these survivors never grew up hating and, most didn't. They really appreciate how precious a gift life is and, love.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful tribute from you to your father and other survivors. He sounds like a precious man.
they were victims of an unimaginable tragedy. a beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteOh Ayala. Sending hugs. This really was a very vivid and poetic tribute to your father.
ReplyDeletebless you. sending you hugs dear lady. you really know how to touch human beings with words.
ReplyDeleteI wrote something yesterday based on a movie (prompt) I'd seen recently called 'The Debt'
ReplyDeleteWhat horrors he must have seen. Your poem is a powerful reminder of the holocaust and a tribute to your father. May we never forget. May something like this never EVER happen again!
ReplyDeleteSad sad powerful poem. Thanks for bringing this up today. You must be very proud of your father. k.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful tribute to your Dad.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder how they all survived and what they endured. This was beautiful. It made me think of my dad who came to this country not speaking any English. The whole generation grew up with fear that we may never understand. So important to remember, thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were small and they had issues I worried about them, my mother in law would always tell me children are resilient. She should know, fleeing Russia as a small girl after her father was taken in the middle of the night, never to see him again. It is amazing how resilient humans are. Never stop writing the tributes.
ReplyDeleteIt' important that we never let ourselves forget. Thank you for sharing this experience that we hope no other human being will ever again be subjected to.
ReplyDelete