Remnants - Auschwitz
This was a very difficult poem to write. This version is at least the fourth major rewrite, not counting minor edits.
The "video" is a soundtrack of me reading the poem accompanied by a still picture.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Even from behind the glass
you can smell the chemical
that keeps the moths away.
A vast mound of matted sheep’s wool
you would say, except (they assure you)
it is original, all two tons of it,
the human hair that was left
unused at the end.
The rest went for socks
to keep workers’ feet warm.
All grey now, sixty years on, it has aged
as those that owned it never did.
They went naked to the shower room,
clutching the soap
they would never use,
and then to the ovens.
A lorry’s engine drowned the screams,
and the Governor’s wife tended her flowers,
making a garden “like paradise.”
on the page this poem smoulders; in your voice, it ignites and burns! the slow measured careful enunciation lets every word be weighed and in turn takes measure of the world. Thank you so much for sharing this poem in both media
To hear you read the words really brings home the horror, the last two lines remind me of the film "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas" Recommended
The read and video left me shivering with cold Paul - your reading did justice to the difficult subject with just the right pitch and pace needed. A verse well worth having read to me again and again as reminder of those to whom grayness of hair was never to come near. - - - Recommended.
The re-writes are well worth it Paul and this is one of your very best poems. It is stark, frightening and unforgettable!
to me this is one of the most powerful poems i've read on poetfreak. thanks for writing and sharing it, Paul.
A powerful write, fiercely vivid and moving.
This admirably crafted poem captures the horror of Auschwitz with a sensitivity and compassion that immediately places the reader alongside the victims. The hell / paradise contrast brings tears to the eyes. A powerful poem in every sense of the word.
Each time it your poem seems to have a stronger impact....Auschwitz should never be forgotten...
What a beautifully spoken poem Paul and how terribly terribly sad. Man's inhumanity to his fellow man is incomprehensible. This is a wonderful tribute to those that died and a great way to keep their memory alive. One of the best I have found on PF.... Pat