Donna Bell, Green Middle School

Holocaust Horrors Reborn

The deafening silence reverberates off the cell walls

Reminding us of the horrors we experience

Ashes fly through the sky

Coating the ground with a dusty remembrance

Cries emerge from the shower rooms

As they fill with the deadly gas

Convincing us that our most horrifying nightmare

Has become a most frightening reality

The bitter wind whips at our mangled bodies

Sending a sudden shock to our nerves

In a desperate attempt to move our numbing limbs

Losing hope now could only ensure a ruthless death

Whether it be by gas or hunger

By gun or whip

We could all end up in an unmarked grave

Prayers were lost

Lives forgotten

And souls left restless

Until our redemption arose…

They came from foreign lands

Freeing our mutilated bodies

And regaining our lost identities

Now centuries later

Horrific scenes again unfold

Not in Europe, but Africa

The people are slaughtered

The women raped

While the children are left abandoned

To wander the heated desert alone

Was there no lesson learned

Has the world gone mad

Is history truly repeating itself

The graphic scenes flash before my eyes

Drawing tears to flood

And slip free down my cheeks

As the truth unfolds

The tightening in my chest

And still dampened cheeks

Reflect my inner torment

With great pain and agony

My gaze is torn from the ghastly truth

Only to land at my last physical memory

The photo stood small but symbolic

As the paper yellowed with age

Four loving faces stare back at me

Through a thin plate of glass

They will never be forgotten

Always thriving in my heart

But their names are lost

To the world that surrounds me

They speak silent words that beckon to me

Coax me to take a stand

To fight for the people being massacred by others

With their silent cries I pull myself together

These people will have their salvation

As I had mine

The battle will be long

But we will triumph over this prejudice

Just as we did back then