I was once a German
But now I'm nothing,
I was a son of the Fatherland
Now I am an orphan.
I fought in the great war
Bled in the trenches,
I thought I understood hell
But it was just the prelude.
Our own people have destroyed us
Our neighbours and friends,
They turned on us like starving dogs
Wide eyed hate driving them on.
I wanted to rejoin the army
Make the Fatherland strong again,
But they do not want my kind
We are no longer welcome.
What have we done
To deserve this betrayal?
Why are we so reviled
Why are we slaughtered like cattle?
When I was young and drunk
I had the Totenkopf tattooed on my arm,
I was proud to be a stormtrooper
Now the symbol represents my hell.
The guards wear it with pride
They beat me when they saw it,
A guard flayed it from my flesh
Laughing as I screamed.
A simple number replaces
What was once a badge of honour,
The world is upside down
I can not understand what is happening.
I was once a German
A son of the Fatherland,
Now I am a slave to be slaughtered
Just for being a Jew.
Author notes
Amongst the Jews slaughtered by the NAZIs where veterans of the first world war. Brave soldiers who where patriotic and loyal to the fatherland and fought in the trenches. Some where of the Stormtrooper detachments, the bravest of the brave who stromed allied trenches proudly wearing the death's head badge that symbolised the elite of the Prussian military.
In the death camps they where tortured and murdered by sadists who wore the badge of honour they had come to see as symbolising all that was brave and honourable about the German army. This was the ultimate betrayal, to fight for your nation in the 1st world war only to be slaughtered by it 20 years later.
A contest entry
- Holocaust; by ladybug..
400 points, ended July 13, 13 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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This is gorgeous. I absolutely adore:
"What have we done
To deserve this betrayal?
Why are we so reviled
Why are we slaughtered like cattle?"
Yes, what did they do to deserve it? Thanks so much for sharing!
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This is a powerfully written piece.
This brought tears to my eyes. I enjoy reading poetry that truly puts the reader in the moment. This accomplished that tenfold. It's profoundly moving, and is a haunting reminder of the unfathomable cruelty that was wrought upon more than six million human beings. Their memories will never be forgotten. Best wishes to you in this contest.
Don
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