'Round and 'round and 'round we go,
on this ancient, sickening ride.
The cycle just keeps repeating
and we’re all trapped inside.
Humanity’s patterns seem fixed,
completely out of our control.
New generations roll like waves
forgetting the lessons of old.
Survivors warn if we don't remember,
it will happen over and over again.
But Cambodia, Iraq and Rwanda prove
that it’s not really "if", but when.
Hatred will forever poison mankind.
It’s our fatal flaw, our Achilles heel.
It’s the main reason we can never stop
this perpetual, maniacal wheel.
Each new generation can’t really know
the horrors that their ancestors fought.
They didn’t experience the blinding fear.
They didn’t smell the dead bodies rot.
Youth longs for intensity and heroism.
Old leaders know this and use it well.
So dark forces will always be readied
to take us all on a new trip to hell.
Will this horrible pattern ever be altered?
What will it take to change man’s heart?
Will we ever get past the instinct to kill?
Will our differences always tear us apart?
Sometimes I wonder, if we all were immortal,
would we someday stop hating each other?
Would we put an end to this vicious cycle?
Would every man finally be my brother?
Alas, these questions will never be answered.
Our lives are short and memories won’t last.
So we must speak for the dead and buried
or we will be condemned to repeat the past.
But more important than just remembering
is the will to stand up and fight evil men
hopefully before they have a chance to start
so this madness will never happen again.
That's why we can never stop telling the stories
and showing the images for new generations to see.
We must never allow ourselves to forget again
how thin the veneer of “civilization” can be.
Author notes
Some sites for further study -
Simon Weisenthal Center -
www.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=242023
Holocaust Survivors -
www.holocaustsurvivors.org/
American Indian Holocaust -
www.dickshovel.com/was.html
Cambodian Genocide -
www.yale.edu/cgp/
Armenian Genocide by the government of Turkey, 1915 (still officially denied by the Turkish government) -
www.armenian-genocide.org/
Ethnic Cleansing -
www.evsd90.wednet.edu/evhs/education/socialstudies/ethniccleansing/ethniccleansing.htm
Written March 20th, 2005
In a list
A contest entry
- Speak out! by Luna Argintie.
930 points, ended August 28, 250 entries
• next poem in this contest, • Add to finalists list, or remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 58 of 58
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awsomee
ist great to see the armenian genocide u mentioned :S april 24 was few days ago:S we comemorate that day every year as the genocide comemoration:S from 1896 to 1922 , 2.5 milllion armenians were slaughtered:S by turks
but your poem speaks louder than what words u used its a great one
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Excellent job done here
We were brainwashed atschool to fight for King country and empire. Even the published war poets were glorifying battle. The ones that didn`t were not published! So like sheep i followed along and joined the colours (colors) An army cadet at 14 and airforce cadet at 16. Still fighting Hitler`s war was most probably a just cause but if i had my time over again I would have preferred to dosomething a little more constructive. -
Hi Mark,
Oh yeah, this one is pretty much the same in ideas, and I am so glad I have met someone like you who also shares the same thoughts, same ideas on this site. I like this write very much and thanks for mentioning it in your comment, although of course I would have been reading it in the future. I even used Rwanda in another write of mine!!! This time the Lord goofed up, guess he created two people with the same kind of thoughts lol!!!
Lencio -
great write
This would have been the winner of the contest if it had not been so long. As it is, I can't do anything but say this is a fabulous poem. I hope you have it printed somewhere soon. -
And oh, how thin that veneer of civilization is...transparent, to my mind. Your poem speaks volumes of the cycle of war which I'm afraid will never end. There will always be someone striving to oppress others at any cost. I think that is the sad and unavoidable truth.
Just a personal note: I have a kid that I raised (unrelated to me...long story), who is a freshman cadet at the Air Force Academy and we are immensely proud of him. He plans to go into medicine and hopes to specialize in pediatrics...I can see him traveling the globe in the future, perhaps with a "Doctors Without Borders" group, performing surgeries on children from poor countries. But I digress...
Your poem is great and very revealing...
Excellent write!
Lorena -
Hear, hear! A wonderful poem filled with an insight some people seem to lack...or maybe they don't care? I see the paralells to the early years of the Christian church; put fear into peoples hearts and make sure you control whatever it is that terrifies them, that's the old recipy of controlling the people and thus gaining power... Your poem is great and it flows effortlessly, I loved it
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Hi Catressa,
That is amazing. Thank you VERY much for sharing it with me. If it's okay with you, I'd like to post it on my author page. Please let me know. It must be very disheartening to soldiers who are risking their lives every day to hear people calling the U.S. military an "Imperialistic" force, or that their lives are being wasted so we can control the oil there, and all the other ridiculous arguments posed by people who are naive to the fact of evil in this world and clueless about what is required to keep hateful men from destroying us. People who want to treat terrorists with "kindness" have obviously never encountered true evil. Their throat would be cut in a heartbeat and the last thing they would hear as their life drains away would be the terrorist laughing. They just don't get it.
The irony is I think people who are against the war love the soldiers just as much as those who support the war do. We all want them to come home. The disagreement is only about how to handle the maniacs in our midst, some of whom are running governments. I also agree that people, even terrorists, should be treated with kindness and reasoned with to hopefully change their hearts BEFORE they kill innocent civilians. But the second they kill one non-military person just going about their day-to-day lives, they have lost all rights to be heard or understood, just as first-degree murderers should lose their lives, too. Anything less is an injustice to the victim, a slap in the face to the victim's friends and family, and a bad message to society about how much value we place, or don't place, on human life. The message a civilized society should give to people considering murder is, "We value human life so highly that if you take one, we will take yours." The same goes for terrorists.
Thanks again for taking the time to send that to me. And next time you write to any of the soldiers fighting for us, please thank them for me.
Mark
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Normally I do not share things like this.. But you should see some of a email that I got from a Lt in V's Unit..
This is from a Commander of 1/24 ACo Strker Brigade who is stationed in Mosul Iraq. Something you should also know? These men lost their Captain in the chowhall bombing.
"I cannot tell you how proud I am of the men of Second Platoon. Conducting patrols on a daily basis, spending normally no less than 6 hours outside the wire, Second Platoon constantly makes a positive impact on the Iraqi community. Patrols consist of searching houses, cars, and garages, talking with the people, conducting cordon and searches, and a multitude of other missions. During evening hours we capitalize on our ability to fight at night and conduct raids on known or suspected terrorists. Each and every day that we go out, the men of Second Platoon conduct themselves in a highly professional manner and have conducted themselves this way ever since we stepped foot in Iraq. Daily I am able to witness your husbands and sons shaking hands with Iraqi men, giving children candy and soccer balls while bring security to a war-torn country. It is an awesome feeling to know that we are making a huge difference in a country so far away while bringing security to our homeland." Lt Scott Smiley ..
To know that you as a writer are commited to seeing that the Soldiers and what they do? Doesn't go unnoticed? Does my Heart PROUD .. So Thank You Mark.. Take Care, Be Safe, Catressa -
Thanks, Cheryl. And a big thank you and your husband (assuming he is the other part of the "we") for your 20 years of service. I hope you enjoy every minute of your well-deserved retirement.
Mark
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I applauded. Not sure I have much to say right now. We are getting ready to retire after 20 years of military life. I would do it again....and I have seen enough.
You say so much all the time, and I am very proud of you.
Cheryl
Cheers!!
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In thinking, everyone has an opinion, and there is no one answer on this subject. Pacifism is obviously a very misguided response to such terrorism, yet it somehow just feels so wrong to meet violence with violence. I know of no other way, however, if I did, I suppose I would be the next Messiah! It truly is a heartbreaking story in so many lives, that I can scarce bear to think of it. It's why I never put my girls in public school - I wanted to shelter them as long as possible from the daily cruelty that just seems to run rampant. Yet, cruelty exists right within families in so many ways, and I don't understand it. I've tried, I know all the theories of psychology, etc., but I never understood how people get so separated from their hearts and conscience and knowing right from wrong, and how they delude themselves with self-righteousness, and think they have not. I suppose these questions will be answered in another life or afterlife.
Kerry
Edited on Apr 04, 4:02 p.m. because 'clarification...'. -
Kissing-eris,
In reply to a comment you made on a poem by Mark Rickerby:
"To fight evil men doesn't necessarily mean to have a bloody war against them for that will make us one of them already. But to resist evil, to show more kindness to our enemies will somehow change their heart and hopefully make them a better person"
I so agree with this, I really believe that on a person-by-person basis, to replace hatred with kindness, contempt with respect, will do so much more in the long run towards truly changing hearts... Not to mean I think wholesale slaughter should be allowed, but somehow the root of this has to be healed, not just the symptoms.
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Yeah, I remember how thin the veneer of civilization is every time I feel like baring my teeth and growling and snapping at certain people! Heh heh. Civilized is not what I would call society. It is a civilization, yes, but it appears it grows less civilized with the passing of time and the inability of people to learn from past generations. Perhaps it's the storytelling and extended family that's been lost in the isolated, nuclear family world, where it's every man for himself and looking out for No. 1 - which is a concept I never got. March to our own drum yes, but it must be the drumbeat of a loving and civilized heart and mind. The healing of the world begins with each person, one at a time. Then and only then, will we truly value life, I believe. Very thought-provoking.
Love, Kerry
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Wonderful poem Mark, it is so true. History has repeated itself a hundred times over and I suppose it will continue to do so forever, unless we put a stop to it. To call any group of people a civilization is rather pointless for in my opinion not many truley are civilized........Great poem. Awesome write once again.
Sharon -
X ceptionaL
Beuatiful write Mark, I dont think I could capture the frustration of mankinds inhumanity to mankind so succinctly...
Its kind of depressing to look at thye reality of history repeating itslf on both sides of the time scale... Youre poem about your long poems is excellent, the reason I mention it is because we seem to have ADHD when it comes to wisdom of learning from past mistakes throughout history. I like all your quotes but I dont usually hang a name on them because its the collective consciousness of EVERY person thats existed. But someone once said something to the effect of " The fools who don't learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.." It seems we all have that designed into us at one level or the other, whether its at a personal level or professional. I agree with balladeer's comment abiut it being the circle of life, the yin and the yan of karma that keeps on turning. There's so many great poets here it still mazes me, when Kim turned me onto this site it was just a distraction from too much drama. But to keep revealing ever growing depths of philosophy here is amazing. So many people who are on the same collective page....
GREAT WRITE!!! Thanks for posting this to encourage awareness -
Sometimes I feel that life is designed to be one big circle. Going back to the beginning of history we see the same cycles, watch the same mistakes being made over and over again. Will we ever learn from it? I find it unlikely. New generations follow the same paths.....great food for thought here, Mark.
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Hi Rob,
Thanks for your comments but I think you misinterpreted this a little. I agree that we need to do our best to promote peace and non-violence in this world, and we should exhaust non-violent methods and negotiations before engaging in war. However, I disagree that Bush and the U.S. government are "preaching never ending war and persicution in the pursuit of the new crusade".
Hussein was the Hitler of our time. If he had been left in power, many more thousands, perhaps millions, of innocent people would have been tortured and killed. Taking him out of power was the right thing to do. He had already committed a holocaust of his own and should have been removed decades ago. If anything, we waited too long, as we did during the Jewish holocaust, the Rwandan massacre, etc, etc.
Do you know that Clinton also wanted to take out Hussein and proposed it to Congress, but they wouldn't let him. So did John Kerry until it became politically convenient for him to criticize Bush. So the responsibility fell to President Bush and was made even more urgent by the attacks of 9/11. The people who say Bush "lied" about Hussein having WMD's seem to ignore these facts:
1. Hussein said repeatedly that he had WMD's and threatened to use them against the U.S.
2. Hussein used them in the past in Kuwait. (Chemical weapons.)
3. Ingredients for chemical weapons were found.
4. Bush's top intelligence advisors told him that Hussein definitely had WMD's.
5. Hussein was constantly kicking out inspectors and not allowing them to conduct searches.
Any police officer will tell you that if a suspect doesn't give him permission to search his vehicle or home, he is definitely hiding something. Why shouldn't we have had the same suspicions about Hussein?
War is messy. There are always civilian casualties. The difference is our civilian casualties are accidental tragedies that we mourn. The enemy's civilian casualties are intentional victories that they celebrate. Our cause is based on self-defense. Theirs is based on hatred. If 9/11 taught us anything, it is that doing nothing and allowing our enemies to get organized is not a good plan.
Also, crusaders generally don't train the soldiers and police forces of their conquered lands so that they can defend themselves and become self-governing. The fact that over half the population risked their lives to vote is proof positive that these people desperately wanted a change after 30 years of fear and violence at the hands of a madman. One Iraqi man who had just voted said, "God created America to bring freedom to people like me." That's my America. If we're crusaders, then we're crusaders in the highest sense of the word. American weapons manufacturers and corporations definitely have a lot to answer for, but America as a country, and a concept, is the greatest force for good that this troubled world has ever seen.
No offense meant. Just sharing my opinion. Thanks again for your thoughts on this.
Mark -
Hi Eris,
Thanks very much for your comments. I appreciate the encouragement.
Regarding your comment, "To fight evil men doesn't necessarily mean to have a bloody war against them for that will make us one of them" - I must disagree. I believe there is moral violence and immoral violence. Tyrants rarely step down voluntarily so they must be forced out of power, and the only way to do that is through force, as in the case of Hitler and Hussein, two psycho's who were cut from the same cloth.
I agree with you that kindness can go a long way, but kindness means nothing to human monstrosites like Hussein and his sons. In fact, they would have considered it a sign of weakness. The same is true of some psychotic gang-banger.
William Lloyd Garrison put it very well -
"With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plea; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost."
Thanks again,
Mark -
PREACH IT BROTHER!
Your voice rings clear.We can't write enough on the issues of peace, harmony, and the need for humanity to stop repeating the same mistakes.With the present regime here in the U.S. preaching never ending war and persicution in the pursuit of the new crusade it is vital for right thinking people to speak our minds.Your extremily well written appeal is a shining example of this effort.BRAVO!
Peace,Rob -
Excellent
This is very intense. You put all the truths there about the society of today. This world itself is a battlefield, all of us has to fight to survive. But some men are too selfish, they are not contented of what they have. Because of their pride they become violent, heartless and dominating. I agree with these lines: But more important than just remembering
is the will to stand up and fight evil men
To fight evil men doesn't necessarily mean to have a bloody war against them for that will make us one of them already. But to resist evil, to show more kindness to our enemies will somehow change their heart and hopefully make them a better person. This is truly an excellent write! Bravo! Cheers!
---ERIS---
Edited on Mar 29, 2:05 p.m. because ''. -
Hi Sara,
I'm sure glad the tornado missed you. I'm glad you liked this one. It means a lot to me because it's something I've been wanting to say for a long time. One of my core philosophies really. Thanks.
Uncle Mark -
Hey John,
Hallelujah to that. I think you touched on the reason why peace never lasts very long. People are not passive, idle creatures. They always need to be doing something, particularly men. Peace is inactive and boring to most men, at least in the activities they are wired for . . . organizing, strategizing, fighting, etc.
Even I'm not a pacifist. I'll never let someone kick me until they get tired. But I will only defend myself, not hurt someone without reason, as is the case with holocausts, genocides, tyrannies, etc. And the reasons for the slaughters given by the murderous regimes are always irrational, like calling their victims "vermin" and "cockroaches". But it's always necessary to dehumanize people that way before killing them. It interferes with hate and the cold-heartedness required to kill innocent people to see them as fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, etc. One mustn't read their poems, hear their music, or talk to them about their lives, etc. This is particularly true when it comes to children. They must convince themselves that they are just baby rats or baby cockroaches that will grow up to be just like their parents when in reality, they are, of course, just children like all children, only wanting to enjoy their little lives.
For instance, I watched a movie called Sometime in Spring shortly before writing this poem, a true story about the Rwandan massacre, and there was a scene where a group of murderous Hutu's came into a classroom with about 50 young girls. They order the Hutu girls to stand aside so they could kill the Tutsi girls, but the girls refused to leave their friends. The teacher asked the leader to think of his own daughters. He said, "My daughter is not a cockroach." He then hit the teacher with the butt of the rifle and they killed every girl in the room with M-16's. A few survived by stumbling out and living in the reeds of a nearby swamp for a month until a liberating army finally showed up. (A Rwandan force. The U.S. under Clinton, France, and other western nations did nothing to stop it.)
I'm sure it was this way in prehistoric times, too. The different tribes probably weren't big on hanging out together and helping each other. Nope, it's much easier to just throw a rock.
Maybe when the aliens finally land ala "Mars Attacks", we'll all start thinking of ourselves as "earthlings" for a chance instead of black, white, red, brown, and yellow.
Thanks again. I'm always happy to hear from you.
Mark -
Wow, Well Written Uncle Mark, Sorry it has taken me so long to read and comment upon, its always nice to read a piece from you ... Tornado touched down about 10 miles away from where I live, I love tornado season, lol
I'm so use to it but it can get a lil scary at times, especially when its in the county you live in... Anyways, back to your poem Its always interesting to read and understand, I always learn something that I didn't quite know before in your poems, I hope all is well with you and everyone is Cali Love you! Your Niece ---Sara
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Mark you sure do have one hell of a way of making all of the flaws of “humanity” apparent. I love the way you take an issue and stick your guns out there and fire at will like this. This reminds me of that saying, “those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” Damn, I wish more people had the thought process like us. I think we could just might have the chance of obliterating hate and such. But then people would argue that the world would be boring. Hell, I’ll take boring. Excellent job my friend.
~ John
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fieryeyes,
Thanks so much for that. It dawned on me recently that I do write message poems. I hope I don't come off as preachy. I'm just an opinionated sucker. lol Thanks again. I was getting those Monday afternoon too-much-work-not-enough-pay-what-a-drag-the-week's-not-even-half-over blues, so your comment really cheered me up when I needed it.
Take care,
Mark -
Wow mark...seems like you have a talent for writing...and a lot of people sure do love you lol! I read your poems all the time and I just want to say that I love how they all have a life lesson tucked somewhere inside...just waiting for the right moment to unfold. "That's why we can never stop telling the stories and showing the images for new generations to see." ~ is my favorit part and I totaly agree
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Hi Reenie,
I think people are more aware now than ever because of the availability of information, but we are still not immune to the kind of brainwashing that leads to holocausts, pogroms, etc., particularly young people who don't have the benefit of hindsight. There will also always be people who feel disenfranchised, and people who take advantage of them by giving them a convenient scapegoat. As my poem says, the human race seems to repeat the same patterns over and over because fundamentally, humanity doesn't change. Our circumstances and technology does, but many are still driven by the same impulses and susceptible to the same fears and prejudices.
I remember sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night when I was about 8 years old to watch TV. I was flipping through the channels and suddenly saw bodies being bulldozed into a hole at Auschwitz. It was my first introduction to barbarity. I didn't know people were capable of doing such things to each other. I cried and couldn't sleep again. That image stayed with me, is still with me, and probably did more to make me a humanitarian than anything else. It is important to keep these images in front of people, even if they don't want to see them. Germany was probably a beautiful place to live before the madness began, and nobody thought it could happen there, either. So I guess I must disagree that the Holocaust didn't teach us anything, because it definitely taught me something. I'm a white, non-Jew and I am always meeting white people who think it's fine to tell me a racist joke, expecting me to think it's funny. One can say, "Well, it's just a joke. It's harmless." But it isn't really. It's a symptom of a deeper illness.
I'm of two minds about the military. On one hand, I'd love the whole world to voluntarily disarm, hold hands, and skip away into the sunset together singing a happy tune like a Hollywood musical. Unfortunately, there will always be lunatics bent by fantasies of dominating their little world, which of course requires killing everybody who doesn't fit his narrow perceptions. These people and their brainwashed armies need to be fought by noble armies. I agree that the training that our soldiers go through is a kind of brainwashing, but I see that training as a noble act, because the soldiers are being prepared for extreme situations that they would not survive with their normal, civilian mindset. They must transform them into something else to keep them alive, so the job the drill sergeant, et al, does is a noble one. It's like that scene in Biloxi Blues when the pacifist soldier says to Christopher Walken, "You could accomplish more by appealing to our humanity than by destroying our dignity." And he replies, "I'm trying to keep these boys alive, you maggot. Get in my way and I'll squash you." But all militaries generally want young people because they haven't learned how to think independently yet. People who ask "Why?" too much don't make good soldiers.
Thanks for the thought-provoking comments and the encouragement. I'm glad your husband made it through his service and came back home safe and sound. Please thank him for his service for me.
Mark -
This was really good. You spoke truthfully and honestly used lots of emotion. Spoke in a way that got the message through. The message in this was very important that we should never forget. I really liked the way you wrote this. Thanks for entering the contest.
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Mark ,you are so correct that there are many similarities in the writes . I was especially taken by you saying that future generations long for heroiism and therefore that knowledge is taken advantage of ( in every nation )
On a side note , I married my husband while he was in the military ( USAF ) Fortunately there were no wars to which he was called at that time ....but I saw it then ( and he finally admits it now ) He was brainwashed , yet unable to even notice it ....of course years later now as he watches the world happen , he will admit that I was right . The saddest part is that every regime does that to their citizens , so at times i wonder if we can really hold the terrorists that only followed orders and believed in their cause responsible .....but I think we cannot make the buck stop there . They were merely believers in a cause , and it is the ones that prpoagandazise that cause that need to be held responsible . Please do not think that I symphatise with them ....but part of me understands ( had they still been able to use free will , what idiot blows himself up aling with thousands of others just to prove a point . They had to be under the mistaken belief that glory was awaiting them in the arms of Allah
People are so easily influenced by a smooth talker....we can just take a televangilist that speaks with a honey coated voice ...or all the other sects that people fall prey to ..i.e Jim Jones ( just recently read about him and all his followers that committed suicide ) Indeed , we live in a sad world ......the Holocaust did not teach us one single thing
Reenie
PS Best of luck in this contest ....and thx for having the courage to speak up about it , it is needed , -
this is amazing. you start off with a photo had trouble looking at - set the stage for a poem i had trouble reading. it's hard seeing the things humans have done to one another. our society doesn't want to see the evils we have perpretrated, but we must continue to remind them. very powerful write here. best of luck in the contest.
illusions
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This is very intense and insightful. You are so right in so many ways and it is very sad to know that mankind can be so violent and heartless. Best of Luck!! God Bless, Penny
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critical
I have never heard the the way the world is put so truthfully and fluently. This piece really touched my heart, and hopefully it will many others. Thanks for sharing your insight. -
no living being can ecer take away all the hatred in thw world. all we can do is hope
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wow... that really is all i can say... wow.
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Stunning.
No the facts despite what some would prefer that you do erase cannot and must not ever be ignored for any reason. Because the thin veneer is still there and it very well may be Americans turn and the Christians hunted down too along with all persons of faith no matter what their religion. It will come again somewhere sometime in the future. -
Fantastic!!! Wonderful in every way I can see. And to answer your question with my opinion: No, the Earth could never stand long enough to kill all the hatred. I fear this is sad but true.
~~~POO~~~ -
Very nice write...luvmybabys...
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This is so incredibly truthful, I don't even know where to begin. Actually, this time I don't think I'm going to critique... I'm just going to say that this is a sublime piece, and I could not possibly agree more with anything you've said in it. Stupendous work, and the best of luck to you in the contest.
~Smidge~ 
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Yes, hatre does poison mankind. You did a fine job, Mark. I have been away for some time and it is nice to be reading you again.
Cheryl Cheers!
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top notch write.
Very profound statement.Very well written smooth lines.Compeling words of wisdom.Expressed your self and thoughts fantasticly.--Suseann -
Dear Mark,
Am not wasting your points! Have to run right now. Be back to comment post-haste!
John -
Youth longs for intensity and heroism.
Old leaders know this and use it well.
So new armies will always be readied
to take us all on a new trip to hell.-This makes me think of how so many people just look at old war heros who have problems from everything they saw,from nightmares to flashbakcs when loud bangs like fireworks go off,and I feel really sad,because I know that some of the kids that once made fun of those old men will be in their places some day. It really strikes me as madness,everything going on right now. This poem just seems to express the disgust for that madness,and disgust for "how thin the veneer of “civilization” can be."
Its a sad poem,made all the more depressing by its its truth. But I still like it because of its blatant honesty and opinion.I like it for the word usage,and the flow.Everything works together for a poem that people should read.I feel like it should be put in a paplet or something with pictures of the effects of war for both sides. -
good write
I really was touched by this work and it made me think of the many lessons I've learned over the years from those long passed lovely wrote. thanks for sharing -
I sat last week with an eighty year old survivor of the death camps, who on April eight, 1944 at the whim of two nazi guards was beaten to within an inch of his life, and had his eyes kicked out of his head, leaving him blinded. Today he speaks in schools and warns of the horroros that men can perpetuate, he was on a death march, starving and with his feet bloodied into open sores, from the wooden shoes they forced them all to wear.
2,500 left the camp on that death marh and in his blindness he heard the increasing pistol shots of those who were killed for failing to keep up. It started to sound like drum rolls. Suddenly after many days into this march the nazis headed the entire group of prisoners into a wooded area and fled. The Allied forces about an hour later liberated the remnants of this group, at the time they were freed there was only 700 left. See, time was of the essence, to get in there and save as many as humanly possible, ten days earlier and 2,500 would have lived. It was inexcusable to wait so long to take action against such evil. that cannot ever be changed by any amount of excuses.......I have looked into the face of the holocaust and heard his whipered teary eyed tales and trembled for all that were lost because it took too long to go and do what was right.From 1939 to 1944 world headlines documented the atrocities daily and they were read with the shaking of heads and nothing much more was done! Period. Peace to you and yours mickey for all time.~Artis
Edited on Mar 20, 6:25 p.m. because ''. -
wow this was very touching my grandfather faught in ww2 and my uncle is fighting in the war with iraq this entire poem was just touching
luv
Tabatha -
I have stated historically accurate facts, that cannot be wished, or begged away, we entered into the war with germany under much pressure, and yes once we got in there we did good, but while millions, died we sat on our hands, as Americans in whole, sure there were plenty who aided in many other ways, but as a nation we allowed too many too die over there before we marched in, and fought for the rights of all. That cannot be denied, even today with the stench of the dead in Sudan while we are too busy securing oil footholds in Iraq. Sorry if the truth raises a few hackles.....Artis
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'Alas, that question will never be answered.
Our lives are short and memories won’t last
unless we speak for the dead and buried
and never let ourselves forget the past.'
& Oh, my God, that last stanza!!! Here, then, Kierkegaard's quote, Mark...'Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' God, I Hope not...another beautifully written & tragically haunting poem, my Friend...How can anyone forget...or worse yet, claim it never even happened??? I remember reading 'The Diary of Ann Frank' in Junior Highschool...her father, Otto, just passed away not long ago...what horrible memories he must have had...yet how very precious was Life...Thank you for writing this poem, Mark...as always, I am most Honoured to call you Friend... 
♥ Wanda
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Fault lies with the liberal 'appeasement' crowd of the time. Joseph Kennedy, FDR, Neville Chamberlain, and my personal favorite Henri-Philippe Petain. Liberalism always has been wrong, always will be--it's the nature of the beast.
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excellent!
Mark,I was curious to read this write from the title you choose..here I am..commenting..anyway..this was very powerfull write again as most of your writings..and last stanza especially was outstanding..it was like a summary for all..and for the idea of the contest..good job
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Man's inhumanity to Man is well documented. The Final Solution is just one example. The basis problem (which few people actually face is that MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY ENJOY KILLING OTHERS & THEY ALWAYS HAVE & THEY ALWAYS WILL. Why do you think people become soldiers? So they can kill "legally". Why are there public executions? Because people enjoy watching others die. The only solution is for civilised people to stop it. But there's not much bloody evidence of that currently is there?
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Haunting
America knew of its existance it was unfortunately Joseph P. Kennedy that chose to be arrogant in his defense of Germany. So much so that he irritated Winston Churchill and was asked to leave London. Roosevelt himself was appraised of this and did not embrace the blind intolerance of the Holocaust and it was the combined forces of the Allies that went in and secured the last survivors of this disaster. I liked the poem but can't help but wonder why it is that people keep blaming Americans. I know that you have not written this but I just have to comment on the comment. Yes atrocities happen there is no denying that but the Americans went in when others chose to ignore. But let's stick to the subject shall we of the plight of the Jewish people. -
To bad America denied it's existence until it was absolutely too blatant to miss, going so far as to even turn away a boat load of Jewish refuges, and then of course an entire battalion of soldiers stole the gold, and valuables that they confiscated on a German train, goods that the Nazis stole from the Jews were again stolen by American troops, there was so much that was wrong with our early delberate snubbing of the whole awful murderous capers that went on. Artis
Edited on Mar 21, 7:31 because ''. -
You and I just keep banging away at the same themes but we tackle it from different directions and with a slightly different structure to our poems. There are are some stanzas in this which are really powerful and there are some that, because of it narrative verse structure, probably need to be tightened rhythmically and in some cases, lyrically with regards word choice. But that said, these themes of universally condemning evil and the evil that men do probably requires constant reminder.
“So we must tell the stories over and over.
We must show the images so people can see.
We must keep reminding ourselves every day
how thin the veneer of “civilization” can be “
and this last verse is really what it is all about; along with the first verse that set up powerful bookends to this poem. It is certainly worth reading and well done.
David
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awesome poem, i liked it after one stanza. i love the rhyme here, just because i see very few poems with good rhyming. you also seem to know what you're talking about, like you were there, fighting. great job, keep it up
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Unfortunately Mark, history has been repeating itself a long time before the holocaust. Turkey,, American Indians, etc..
This is so intense, one can't help but feel the message right down to your bones.
~Michelle~
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Thanks, Mickie. I'm glad you liked it. This is just my take on a message that can't be delivered often enough so thank you for having this contest.
I just watched "Sometime in Spring" last night, a movie about the Rwandan genocide. It was disgraceful how long it took for us to get over there, and of course the U.N. was as useless as ever. Remembering is important, but because this kind of thing will apparently never stop happening, it's more important to be ready to squash this kind of evil whenever and wherever it appears.
Thanks again,
Mark -
unfortunately this world will be plauged with these atrocities because they have decided that they could operate from under God's rule.it's hard to forget these things and we shouldn't forget.but in remembering,has it alleviated hate from mankind.as bad as the holocaust was did it even began to stop hatred.it is G od's prophesy that tells us that these things will happen.it is great authors such as you that have the ability to write in a probing and thought-provoking manner that may momentarily remind us what hatred has brought us.i hope the contest will be a success for you for this is a prize-winning piece.
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This is really good because it has the important message that we must never forget echoing throughout. That really puts the poem inside of you. Also I like the photograph used because it shows what really happened. I like the sensitivity you have used in the understanding of what happened this is really good. Thanks for entering the contest.
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