My grandpa had a number
Tattooed on his arm.
He got it when they took him
Far from the family farm.
They took him with some other men
And piled him in a truck.
Where would he go? Would he live?
There were only prayers and luck.
Inside, there were many people
Stacked one on top of the other-
Family members of all sorts-
Parents, sisters, brothers.
Inside, the truck was very cramped
And smelled of horrid odor,
For there was urine, feces, vomit
Covering him all over.
The truck came to a halting stop
As bodies shifted around.
The guards pulled everybody out.
They were happy to be on ground.
With guns, they loudly shouted orders
That no one comprehended.
Right there before my grandpa's eyes,
*BAM*--a life had ended.
The people were split in different lines,
My grandpa was with the men.
The other line was abundant with
The women and the children.
They took my grandpa to a building
Surrounded by barbed wire.
In the distance he saw and smelled
A giant burning fire.
My grandpa was forced forward
By a guard with an evil gleam.
Looking around he sadly found
No women and children seen.
In line my grandpa noticed
Heads being robbed of all their hair.
He was going bald anyway,
I'm sure he didn't care.
After shaving off his hair
He was given a pair of clothes.
The pants were baggy, the shirt too tight,
And the wooden shoes hurt his toes.
They took all his possessions,
The things he tried to hide.
Like the piece of gold hid in his anus
So he would have food to buy.
They told him where his cabin was,
Where he would bunk and live.
Turns out, there were thirty other men
Sharing a bed with him.
After already feeling weaker
Without the blessing of dinner,
He felt his stomach cringe inside
And knew he would get much thinner.
Grandpa had tried getting sleep
With the others in his bed.
At 3am he heard the alarm
With a throbbing in his head.
His first day at the awful camp
Was filled with sorrow and dread.
His task was to dig a really deep trench
And bury all the dead.
He dug for many hours
With beads of sweat abundant.
The screaming soldiers shot his friend,
So into the hole he went.
When dinner came, Grandpa made sure
He fell into the middle of the pack,
To make sure he got some veggies
That put meat upon his back
The men at the front weren't lucky,
Though guaranteed some food.
The only thing swimming in their bowls
Was a vegetable or two.
My grandpa felt so fortunate
When he got his dinner roll.
It was either rock hard and stale bread,
Or that covered in mold.
Days went on and time was lost.
Grandpa was growing thin.
More and more men in his bed,
As the numbers were brought in.
The guards were getting worried.
You could see it on their faces.
They piled men into a truck,
Transporting them different places.
Once again, another trip.
Where would my grandpa go?
Through all the moaning and the tears,
He could feel the truck grow slow.
Routinely being pulled out
And seeing them shoot the sick,
He noticed a sign above the door
A sign that read "Auschwitz."
The number of men was many
And as he looked around.
Inside the gate his heart had stopped-
No prisoners were found.
Instead of seeing happy people
Singing and dancing dances,
He noticed sick and deathly images-
Faces pressed against the fences.
They were watching Grandpa,
Envying his weight.
But at this camp, however
They'd all share the same fate.
The soldiers took my grandpa
As one said with a smile,
"You can go in and wash up,
But remain in single file."
Thinking this would be the end,
The long-awaited liberation,
My grandpa couldn't contain himself
From all the anticipation.
Finally, it was his turn.
But wait... there was a surprise.
Instead of water from the faucet,
Gas began to rise.
Gasping, choking filled the room,
As people held their breath.
They wouldn't let the Nazis win
They'd fight it out ‘til death.
This is my grandpa’s story
About his special number
Where would he be today though?
It makes you sort of wonder
"Racism is an awful thing.
Don't hate," my grandpa said.
Of course, he would have told you,
But he can't, because he's dead.
I love my grandpa with all my heart
And I want to share his news.
Don't start another Holocaust.
Don't do as the Nazis do.
Take a look at all the children
Standing by your side.
Make sure they don't suffer the fate
That my grandpa had to die.
"Unless you're in a courtroom, banging a gavel,
You shouldn't judge people
So don't." -NBC
Author notes
very intense......mostly sad
Written February 24th, 2006
In a list
- My Favorites--These are poem from some poets here at AllPoetry that I really liked. All poems are listed with author's permisssion • next in list
What did you think
Comments
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i love it ive read it now 8 times
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Excellent
Your poem is wonderfully written. It tells a story in a way that moves you. Thank you for sharing. -
This was a beautiful writing, but a sad and heart felt story... Great job on this!!! I've never read a poem this long all the way through until now!!! Thanks for writing this! Congratulations on the silver!!!
*Haley* -
awesome
this was amazing! It had so much imagery and it was just totally rocking!It was soo sad that your grandfather had to die and I am sorry but great write hon!
-Ambs- -
awesome
this was amazing! It had so much imagery and it was just totally rocking!It was soo sad that your grandfather had to die and I am sorry but great write hon!
-Ambs- -
awesome
WICKED! This was the most gutwrenching poem I've read thus far, also the ONLY extra-long poem that could keep my attention fixated without me getting bored. Very well done indeed! The way you tell the story of your grandpa in such a child-like manner makes it even more moving and sad. I felt the rhyming was a bit forced at times but you still did a spectacular job. Beautiful! Take care and thank you for sharing. -
Such sadness in your words, convey the tragedy. This was amazing, purely amazing. Keep up the good amazing work.
Peace -
seems to me to be a day of reading tearjerkers, and this one certainly falls in line. This was an amazing tribute to your grandfathers courage amongst such suffering. I can only hope that if anyone out there has hatred in their souls against a specific race, culture or religion that they stumble across this piece. We are all humans and as such we all deserve to be treated equally, not judged, not tormented just because we are not the mirror image of another. You did an awesome job with this piece dear...I commend your talent to express so much that needs to be said!
God Bless, Suzi -
incredibly heartwrenching, desperately sad, more people should be made aware of this, good work with this, my sincerist apologies,
~S. -
Brillant, sheer brillance
I recently read a story in a magazine about soemthing very very familar to this poem.
A young lady was talking about the truth of her Father's "flower" tattoo that was in fact covering a number branded on him when the Nazi's came for him.
That story touched my heart just as your poem here has done.
You have written this excellently and I applaud you 1000 times over.
Be proud of this as I am sure your Grandfather would be.
Stay Safe,
Much Love,
Amanda -
Pretty spectacular write, footballdiva! Very moving and I have to consent to most of this-maybe a few facts weren't exact, but the general idea was. God forgive us for what we allowed to happen to His chosen people-don't you know He was grieved over the mistreatment of His people.
Seems like this won silver-there is no question as to why. Congratulations~vj -
Merry meet,
Congratulations on winning the Silver. This is still a very powerful write. I'm glad that it won a silver.
Amythest -
magnificent
this is one oft he most beautiful poems i have ever read! i'm surprised you didn't win first place!!! was this really your grandpa's story? if so, i'm sorry. this poem kept me wondering what was going to happen, when and where? all the way through. I loved it1 ery good write. i hope to see more great stuff like this from you in the future
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Wonderful silver winner in this awesome poem. Congratulations for winning second place in this contest.
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this is amaizing! i love it. is it really your grandpas story?
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well done
This is a wonderful poem.This is unbelievable. It's hard to find any words on this, you did an outstanding job, and I agree with shzoosy some judges shouldnt judge. But well we have to deal with it
Thanks for sharing
Victoria -
Awesome
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well written poem and your exactly right, my favorite line though was unless your in a courtroom baning a gavel dont judge people. You now have my respect for fighting for what you believe in.
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this is a very very heart wrenching story. i wanted to stop reading it.. but i held it together and got through it. it's very unfortunate what happened back then. a very awesome write here.. please.. hold your head up and keep on writing..
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even the some judges shouldn't judge...i love 'story' writes..you kept it simple and concise...good job..peace to you..shzoosy
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bravo on this poem! thank you much! i hope you win!
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Heartbreaking, I was crying...
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Wow, that's amazing; brilliantly written!
This is unbelievable. It's hard to find any words on this
It's just so sad and thought-provoking I think.
Great job!
LittleAnn -
This poem this sad story of yours and your families left me shaking at the end as I felt the images coming to life all around me and I thought for just a minute if the world could see
Just how much pain racisim causes then they their selves would
Feel as if they were a leaf being blown into hells fire for all
The terrible things we have done over the past couple thousand of years, And then I also thought of the horror that the germans put these innocent people through and I said two words to my self that made me shake even more hate kills, and it leaves people dismayed even for generations to come and I just hope that anyone and everyone who reads this story realises that life it's self is hell enough without everyone elses hate and rage shaking us to the ground again thank you for allowing me to read your work and I'm sorry this comment turned out so long but you have inspired me as a poet to help everyone I can when I can thank you , -
Outstanding Writing
Assumed you are Catholic, given your school. I am half Jewish on my Father's side. --Ellis Elkins -
i like it and i agree... is it true
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wow. that was a great poem, very powerful .
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A very powerful and awe inspiring write.
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This is an absolutely beautiful peice! I don't know what to say!!! It was simply amazing! I'm glad that you wrote about this, because there isn't enough poetry out there today that faces real issues, and talks about our history. This is definately a winner, a beautiful piece that couldn't be written any other way. I loved your last couple lines. Judges should be the only people judging anyone, and thats a different kind of judging altogether, ya know? Amen, this is a wonderful piece, i loved your expression, and rawness of it. you didn't beat around the bush, you just hit the truth right up front. Great job!! BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL!!!
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Brillant!! amazing!!This is a wonderful poem.this is unique in its own way.This poem is well done. You are a wonderful writer. wonderful expression.
I really enjoyed this. nice imagery here.
keep up the good work and keep penning. -
Wow.
Man. I can't say any more than that. -
This is very wonderfully done. Do you know this is National Holocaust remenberane month or some designation like that. There are speakers and displays at my college, even speakers in the community. This is very well done. Thanks for sharing this reminder with everyone.
One small suggestion,I think this takes away from an otherwise terrific write:He was going bald anyway,
I'm sure he didn't care
IMHO only, take what you want and leave the rest.
Thanks again. -
Good Luck in the contest. This is such a sad burden that the children of those that lived to tell about it have to bear. It is good to tell your grandfathers tale since he can not. Racism is so stupid. I fail to realize what sets us apart from each other. Just because someone is black, I should hate them because I am white? I will not hate my fellow human beigns. It is just stupid. When we get to heaven, God does not discriminate and there will be all races. I am glad you wrote this poem.
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excellent
this is brillient, you have done a great job with this poem, i love how you have added all of the details into this, well done keep on writting and peace out.
-armoured heart- -
This is so sad, my mum has visited dackhau and she said that is was horrendous, i read a few books on the holocoust and this fit the profile pretty well, i am impressed, you must have done a fair bit of reserch or atleast been told some extremely accurate war stories. Have you read the diary of anne frank? anyway what was i saying oh yea you probably dont want to know but i will ramble anyway, my grandmother was in holland in the second ww and the german soilders would raid her house shoving their bayonettes through the ceiling to find her brother, i thought this was pretty trippy, i wrote a poem about the holocoust, a good, one ages ago but i cant find it, oh well ill get over it, lol ill let you know if i find it,, yours, becca
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wow!
my mum told me about this poem(honey bear) she said it was an exelent read and that you would grow up to write books, after reading this, i think she is right. you are one of the few who were born to write.
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Very very nicely done. I recently read the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel, and I thought that that book was very descriptive of an experience in the Holocaust. That was, until I happened to read this. This poem is very graphic, and makes your grandfather's experience all too realistic. You have done an amazing job at sharing his story and his experience with me, and I appreciate having the opportunity to read such a detailed account very much.
Stay inspired and keep writing.
-Norah -
this is a very touching poem ....the halocaust was wrong ...and i agree u shouldn't judge ppl ...during WWII many men women and children died because of anti-semitism and it is that attrocity that reminds us today where those ppl would be today had it not happened ...your grandfather was a brave man
~Heather~ -
outstanding
Merry Meet,
This poem has a stark truth about it and that is what makes it so gripping. I can't really add anything more than what has already been said except that I agree with it all.
Blessed Be -
OMG! I am absolutely speachless! The holocaust is something that has totally touched my life and I am so sorry that your family had to have a tragic loss like that! Every time I hear about it it gets me angry and sick, but you told the story with such blunt truth its hard to escape and it makes it all the more real. This was such a beautifully, perfectly written poem! Seriously its amazing!
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i loved this poem so much debbie. it is really good i seen a show on tv that was about the holocoust and it said that women and children go to one side and men go to the other side but both groups just end up going into a boiler. it was sooo sad. i did a report about the holocoust in middle school and i soon began to hate everything that it did to people. before that i thought that was were bad people went. but they werent bad they just had a religion that people didnt like. well anyways that was a really good poem debbie.
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A Magnificent Masterpiece
Wow, the insane passion in this poem really moved me, the sadness within it and deep portrayal of freedoms lost make it so easily pictured within the mind, i love your style of writeing and choice of topic here. Honestly one of the best pieces of literature ive found on this site so far, an applause is incomeing for you my friend, i will be adding this to favorites and showing it to friends and poets alike. The true idea of writeing for emotion is so bound up in this work it can move mountains. I plan on reading some more of your work when its not 4 am and ive had some sleep, but this was definitly worth staying up to find. My thanks to you and the person who referred me to read this fine example of art. Don't ever quit writeing, you were given a talent truely and it is very appreciated by us all. -
5 Stars
What a fucking beautiful poem in all of it's horror.
This was moving, passoinate, raw.. Everything a wonderfull poem should be.
One doesn't even notice the length once they have started reading, only craving more.
This would be in the top 3 poems I have read tonight.
I am out of applauses and points, but will return sometime in the next day to give you one.
It is truly deserved. -
This is a very wonderful poem. Very vivid. I'm glad someone still remembers Auschwitz and the terror that the Nazi's used to rain down. Thank you very much for this poem. Please keep it up.
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You describe the fate that happened to so many. I am sorry you lost your grandpa, i pray it never happens again Your poem is excellent, i was anticipating every word
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This is seriously and truthfully the BEST poem I have ever read.. the rhyming was fantastic and the subject of the poem is just amazing. Your a great writer, this poem was excellent.
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I usually don't like a really long pen, however this one was well worth the read. You did a fantastic job on your imagery and meter......It is sad to know how percectly innocent people had to pay with their lifes........I am so sorry that your grandfatehr was one of them......
Good luck in the contest, however I don't think that you'll need it with this pen..
Smiles your way > Sandy San0d
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Wow, I'm crying. This is so intense and powerful. I feel as though I want to share it with my students if I may. And perhaps the Social Studies teachers in my school who teach the holocaust because I know they would want to share it with their classes as well. Would you mind?
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Very, very sad but well written,
Debby -
This is the best poem I have read! Something totally different. I LOVE IT!!!!!
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WOW! A PERFECTLY WRITTEN POEM! PERFECT CHOICE OF WORDS. IM SORRY WHAT HAPPENED TO UR GRANDPA, BUT HE FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM.I'LL KEEP HIM IN MY PRAYERS TONIGHT. A PERFECT DESCRIPTION ON HOW SOLIDERS LIVED WHILE THE NAZIS ATTACKED. BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. GREAT WORK. NOT ONLY DOES THIS POEM DESERVE A "GOOD JOB", IT DESERVES AN APPLAUSE! CONGRATS! ENJOY UR POINTS!
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My mother having lived in Germany with her husband who was stationed in the Army said it was the most haunting place she's ever seen. Your writing did it justice. Beautiful.
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intence
this was a fabulous poem. I didnt notice if it was a in a competition but if it is I hope you win. This is a heartwrenching story of mans inhumanity to man and it was soooo well written. well done and thanks for sharing -
thanks guys for all your comments! they really mean a lot to me.
*debbie* -
This is very sad..great write ..I applaud your write!
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Excellent
A great write about a horrific subject, Excellent job! -
beautifully written poem of such a heart-wrenching period of history, Football.
I once had a customer, with a very thick German accent, who also bore the Nazi number-tatoo on his forearm. He would come in person to pay his insurance premium every month, but every month the conversation would come back to his wife, who died in the concentration camp. I had even written a poem of him once...but so often I do think of him, and your poem here tonight reminded me to him and his story. thank you for that...I remember him always saying "Vee must alvays remembare, alvays." Poems like yours make it impossible to forget...and we never should.
Jo -
Excellent
A great write about a horrific subject, Excellent -
Wow...this was really awesome. The rythem gave the words even more punch, so by the end I was speechless. Great job.
xx-Kitti -
Brr...This one made me shiver. It is written in a light and flowing style, and yet the content is so horrible! At the line "No prisoners were found", I could vividly imagine the fear... When I saw this title and your nickname on the front page, I thought it was about football...
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Amazing poem, your words echo in my mind, very moving words.
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Outstanding
Oh my...This is really amazing, I tell you this from the heart, your poem is excellent. There is nothing to be said except....wow. I knew from the start exactly what it was, I guess it comes from my brother having been fascinated by WW2, literally obssessing over it. He could retell any fact about WW2 with full detail and more. The stories some of these survivors have are really interesting, some so gruesome it is hard to believe the truth. I knew a man, a holocaust survivor. All I can recall was his last name, Soloman. He was hidden by a catholic friend of his under the man's barn along with about 30+ men, women, and children. They would have to do their business in a hole, forced to live underground. The most frightening thing is that the Nazis found them, sent them to a camp, which you can say was their death sentence. Well, luckily, this man, Soloman, survived the camp. His story has much more detail, but this was keeping it basic I guess. One of my favorite books is Number the Stars, again about the Holocaust. I hope none of this ever happens again in history...such a dreaded tale of sorrow, pain, and fear.
I got quite carried away! Well, this piece is very powerful, a lot of emotion and imagery, you can almost see what they saw, feel what they felt. This is definitly going into my favorites. Great write, outstanding job.
~Crystal -
Aye! I lived this horrid experience as I read your poem. Indeed racism is a horrible thing considering that we all are of one root. I would have loved to sit at your grandpa's feet and weep through the stories he would have told. Thank you for this cold but well needed reminder that we are all humans and should treat all that way.
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Moving, but it reads like a list of events, rather than a compelling account.
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i really liked this and believe it might do well at a reading if you worked the lines until you almost knew it by heart. You know where to stress certain things and so forth. If you did do it at a reading it would not give you a chance to share your writing, but also lend the message the story tells. RC
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powerful
THIS IS A WINNER-IT'S REAL, AUTHENTIC, POWERFUL, CREATIVE, HEART-FILLED, INFORMATIVE, and I could go on and on about all the reasons this piece deserves to WIN and I also think it would make a fantastic book-just add a few images and wham!!!!! -
my great-uncle was gassed as auschwitz. my grandpa was in a camp, but survived. this was a great poem. it really fully captured the emotion of the story.
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EXCELLENT
WOW, this is extremely intense, and so sad! Some parts brought tears to my eyes! This is a truly excellent, beautiful poem you have here, i can feel this as i read it. Awesome job! -
This poem gave me chills and actually put tears in my eyes. OMG I just can't imagine the pain that people went through in those times. I just can't. How painful this must have been to write this. It's just so damn vivid. It really makes me mad that people were allowed to do this to others. It's just amazing really...I'm so sorry about your grandfather.
~*Destiny*~ -
This has so much feeling. Well-done
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Wow, what a great visual story this was. I'm sorry about your grandpa, that is very sad.
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I could picture it all. I think you should get this published, It's worthy.
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This is a really great story/poem very great. Its so sad to hear about what happened back then. And i totally agree unless your a judge with a gavel dont judge
very clever mind you have -
Bravo
Debs it's sooooooo sad. Terrible images ran through my head. -
Wow, this was very sad. I'm student teaching and I have to teach my students about the Holocaust... it's a powerful subject, and the horrors are unimaginable.
Elizabeth
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This truly is an amazing write!!! This was wonderful because it told a story... a complete story from beginning to end. It was full of emotion and it was really quite amazing! Some parts though I found didn't flow as well as others...
usually when a poem is this long, it sort of loses it's meaning, well this poem certainly did not..
i really like how you ended up with a little lesson... very clever!
the title was perfect as well! nice job! the only thing i would change would be to go back and edit the poem to make the appropriate things capitalized! very nice job though!!!
-cait -
awesome
thats amazing he suffered through all of that and the horror of it all was so vivid
what an amazing write
definately keep up the good work -
great poem hun keep up the good work!!!!
Dru xxx -
excellent
It was soo sad. I actually thought he was going to live in the end. It was very good. The title tells it all, in the beginning you can tell that it was about the Holocaust, but I just couldn't stop reading it. It told a story and that's why I think it was so good. But your right, there is still lots of racism and judging in this world. One day perhaps, that'll all change.. -
this is great. you expressed the horrors of hilters holocaust beautifully. dont get me wrong the holocaust was a horrific thing. you poem though is written wonderful. it is sad that so many still suffer because of their feelings, beliefs, and religions. wonderful write!!!
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Bravo!
I am glad that I found this poem and decided to read it. It's a sad poem but I think it illustrates the horrors of the Holocaust. I also love the name of this poem "My Grandpa Had a Number" The name of a poem can often help make it stand out and that is what made me want to read this in the first place. It's horrible to think that aside from being a wonderful poem it is a true story. I don't think that any one who didn't experience this for themselves can truely begin to imagine what it could be like, but maybe reading this can help a little bit to understand. It's also important to realize that these things DO still happen today in different parts of the world. I think this deserves another applause. -
Omg!!!I learned about the Holocaust in 8th grade and was horrified and devistated...So many innocent people killed because of what one man said...Think of what would have happened if one different man had defended all of those dying and could have saved many more...Excellent job!!!
Love
Girl -
Holy, holy... oh, my God. Intense and utterly heartbreaking. The little quote at the bottom is great!! An amazingly powerful piece; thankyou so much for sharing this with us!!
~dramaqueen469~ -
This story is very much like my own. My grandfather and Granmother were deported to Aushwitz, the day after they met. Luckily they survived, except my grandfather lost a leg to Gangreen. They are dead now. But when I was younger I asked them how the survived and they said, "We stayed together and had lots of luck" I am still very saddened at what the Nazis did to my people, and I will never forget it. Anyways, This was a very powerful piece, and I am glad that you shared it with us.
Shalom
-Max -
Great
Excellent job!! -
This was a totally cool write. I really enjoyed how it took me step by step through the story... It is a sad part of our world history. And one we must learn from! Well done!
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Outstanding!
Very powerful. And so sad! I thought the ending could be a little better- it might be more powerful if, after not using capitalization in the rest of the peom, you capitalized both 'so' and 'don't'. Other than that, great poem. We need more poems about the Holocaust in this world so that more people know more about it- if you're willing to write another one, I'd be delighted to read it. Your grandpa would be proud of you today if he knew you had written this. Well done. -
exelent work
what a lovely thing to do ,to write this for your grandpa, iam sure that he is very proud of the way you have told his story in such a descriptive way,this should never have happened and if people keep the memory alive of all those that ,like your grandpa, lost their lives at this horrific time then i believe it will never happen again.it is a sad tale to tell but it must be told again and again and again,LEST WE FORGET. -
aww that is sooo sad i feel really bad for all those families who lost someone in the holocaust. i mean when i was learning about it in school. i cryed everytime my teacher would talk about a jew dying. and your right no one should be judged. i dont think it is right. so like that is why i dont judge people. well i hope everything is ok in your family and thank you for sharing your grandpas story. well check mine out sometime. sorry this is sooo long. love keisha
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wow, that was really intense, such a great piece for not having been there you told the story of your grandpa and many others so well...keep telling your own story.
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awesome
wow............that is so sad
I loved the way you made it sound so real
It was an awesome poem!!!!!!!!!!!
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it was very sad and powerful. the way you wrote it it made you feel like you were there which made it more intense for the reader.
great write. -
I can't believe you're only 14! You did a fantastic job with this poem. I also love the title..it is very appropriate.
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I saw you in the chatter box asking people to read this....I'm glad I did.
You have really done an excellent job portraying this aweful part of our history. Your format and rhyme are perfect and even if they weren't it wouldn't matter, because the content is just right.
So sickening this story is. You've done your grandpa proud.
Bravo ♥ -
very intense and sad.
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