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A winter of Discontent: Bergen-Belsen, December, 1944.

 

 

Our first Christmas
away from home,
a milestone to be sure,

as for tomorrow
well, who knows?

but the tree was nice,
pieced together
from pine boughs
wired to a broom stick,

and the ornaments,
handmade
with humble,
delicate care by
many who
were not there except
in our hearts,

and the cold
was the furthest thing
from our minds
as we sang

quiet carols
in their memory,
hoping for
a brighter new year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

1 - 19 of 19

  • luna-midnight gold member
    February 13

    Edit | Reply
    sigh, i dont know what to say anymore, ahahha. lol. dont you get annoyed reading my praise? lol.
    but again a wonderful write, and great wording! =)
    stephanie =)


  • Cat gold member
    January 20

    Edit | Reply
    a really good, admirable idea- sounds silly of me to say that- but you stretched yourself for this one with the story- nicely done

    m


  • AJ Morelli gold member
    January 11
    Edit | Reply
    this is a really touching write, thanks for sharing it here...


    al

  • secberm
    January 9

    Edit | Reply
    Hmmm... Wow... Well done, well penned. Pensive. It paints a pretty picture. A picture of another time. And it takes me away to something I've never known, may never know, and never aspired to see (maybe because I'm a realist or a cynic but have learned to appreciate the beauty of MY life). But looking into the window of YOURS--be it real or fantasy--is heartwarming.

    and the cold
    was the furthest thing
    from our minds
    as we sang


    Cool!

    Write on...

    Always,
    DEZ


  • EvilKate gold member
    January 7

    Edit | Reply
    A profound assembly of image and flow - a starkness contrasted well by the small things that always keep hope flowing. This is good!


  • Luna Tique Fringe gold member
    January 6

    Edit | Reply
    whoa..with the title I wasn't sure what to expect. This is very dear...I have a penchant for empathy..you made me feel what they must have felt.

    "but the tree was nice,
    pieced together
    from pine boughs
    wired to a broom stick,"

    That's what gave it "reality" for me.


  • beccie
    January 6

    Edit | Reply
    this is so poignant, i felt the emotion, like i was there myself, i love poetry like this, where i feel as if the person writing it comes out in the words, congratulations, this was written so sensitively and so well
    Bec

  • ardentMarch gold member
    January 5

    Edit | Reply
    "and the ornaments,
    handmade
    with humble,
    delicate care by
    many who
    were not there except
    in our hearts,"

    along with the last two stanzas..sigh..

    this part really got to me..what a touching story and amazing poem...your title is very good as well.
    This is a tissue poem.


  • LittleMoon silver member
    January 5

    Edit | Reply
    A very wonderful write MJ, about an extremely difficult subject. Well chosen words and sympathetic handling to remind us all that pictures we now see of those starved, almost beyond human beings, were all normal folk once with hopes and dreams like the rest of us. It should not be forgotten but I fear it already is with some now challenging it's reality.


  • Amera gold member
    January 4

    Edit | Reply
    I like this! I love the mixed emotions and the hope in your intonation. The read is fast and rather staccato which gives driving power to the image. Well done!

    Love,
    Amera♥


  • lindaburns
    January 4

    Edit | Reply
    They that were gone
    still wrapped around an arm
    as if to shield from harm
    those who huddled in the storm
    in the mind of the survivors.


  • BorntothePurple
    January 4
    Edit | Reply
    This is really well written- sad, but beautiful at the same time. The triumph of the human spirit?

  • Nicolette gold member
    January 3

    Edit | Reply
    A nice touch of history in this poem... you made us see through the eyes of the people in this concentration camp..I've found warmth here despite the cold and the not knowing what tomorrow will bring. I was fortunate enough to have visited Germany during winter, also to have been to Anne Frank's house (long ago...). A lovely poem that speaks of compassion and insight.... and a deeper understanding of the little things in life.

    ~ Nicolette


    • MJ Donnelly gold member
      January 3
      Edit | Reply
      Thank you for your kind comment Nicolette, and I too have seen winter in Germany, actually, I was stationed with the US Army in Berlin for three years during the early eighties.

  • Auburn Sunrise gold member
    January 3

    Edit | Reply

    you were right about needing a box of tissues..

    Thanks for the sob story!
    No, really, I believe we all need to be reminded of this atrocity from time to time, we should never be allowed to forget the injustices mankind have forced other humans to endure.
    This was wonderfully written, with a very real feel to it.
    You always seem to see the bigger picture. Your poems are not about your own self-pitying, self-hating purposes... they're about the world around you, and even a history you didn't really experience firsthand.
    I love that. I think I could learn a lot from that.
    Thank you, for a brilliant write.


  • MJ Donnelly gold member
    January 3
    Edit | Reply
    *Just an FYI note-
    For those who may not be quite up to snuff on your history; Bergen-Belsen was a concentration camp set up by the Nazis, in Germany during WWII. It held several groups of internees, and my poem was a terse but emotional attempt to capture what their Christmas was perhaps like. This was also the very same camp that held Anne Frank and her family.
  • ashjoe76
    January 3

    Edit | Reply
    very good write


  • BellaD
    January 3
    Edit | Reply

    Beautiful!

    This is a lovely, subtly evocative poem. Very well done!

  • goalsv
    January 3
    Edit | Reply
    Very heart waming and calming. Nice job with the prompt, it really shows your heart.
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