Part of Wilfred Kemsley’s Anthology exploring the nature of the Holocaust, and its impact on the modern world.
.
Here were houses in Auschwitz
And Restaurants and Bars
The Streets alight with Footsteps
There were Drivers in the Cars
.
There was Sunshine every morning
And Darkness every night
There were tears, there was heartbreak
There was an ever hopeful Light
.
But then at once the streets were emptied
And the Gunmen flooded through
The Square flowed red in colour
And the Ghetto housed a Jew
.
Soon the Countryside was wired
And the Bricks were mounted high
The Streets were filled with marching
And the Neighbours waved Goodbye
.
This was not some horrid Nightmare
That would shroud the infant’s mind
This reality was happening
Only 1945
.
There were rail tracks and wooden huts
Subtle screams from deep within
There were children beyond the fences
They were innocent of sin
.
There were shoes of every size
And keys from every street
But these no more could unlock the door
Or protect the exposed feet
.
There was death and there was hardship
There was slow and long decay
There were thousands upon thousands
Who would not survive the day
.
There were officers and doctors
Who would simply stand and watch
As the innocent in front of them
Were worked until they rot
.
After far to long the war did end
And liberated men
And towards the skies the ones who survived
Cried out upon the when
.
The when and the where
The who and they why
Desperate for an answer
Did they deserve to die
.
The survivors used their faith to move
It allowed them to forgive
They were the strongest men and women
Though they all deserved to live
.
The truest strength can be seen today
In every surviving heart
The goodness in humanity
is never far apart
.
Because, There are still
.
Houses in Auschwitz
Restaurants and bars
The streets are alight with footsteps
There are drivers in the cars
.
There is sunshine in the morning
Darkness every night
Heartbreak is not forgotten
But we move towards the light
.
The lost will be remembered
There memory will survive
While the houses left in Auschwitz
Stand strong against the tide
