Amy Bisesi – St. Vincent-St. Mary

Wake Up

I am shaken awake by my brother
He yells at me to get up
The time has come, I peel off the covers
Exposing myself to the cold winter air of my bedroom
Goosebumps take over my flesh
But they're not just from the cold

I grab the bag that's been sitting in the corner
Of my room for days, waiting to be used
I packed it to its capacity
With underwear, socks, and layers of clothes
I wanted to pack some of my books
But Mom said they'd be too heavy to carry
And that I wouldn't need them
For where we were going anyways

I walk downstairs to find my brother and dad
Sitting at the kitchen table
Mom hands me a bowl of grits and tells me to eat up
"You'll need all your energy today," she says
I don't really know what she means
But I nod and swallow the mush with just a few gags

There's a bang on the door from our neighbor
Warning us to hurry and come outside
We put on our coats as Mom takes our dishes to the sink
And pours water on the coals

The snow is falling steadily
I stick out my tongue, trying to catch some flakes
But my brother snatches my hand and pulls me forward
To the line of all the people

Mom and Dad look sad
But they never did like the winter
They're staring at a train towards the front of the line
It's full of my neighbors, and I think I see a girl
Who was in my class last year
Her face reminds me of how our puppy looked at us
When we dropped him off at a farm last autumn
After he'd torn up a series of shoes and furniture

Our turn has come to board the train
I whine to Mom to let me sit on her lap
But there is only room to stand
My legs grow tired as day turns to night
And the next thing I know I wake up to the new day
In my father's arms

Hours later the train comes to a stop
Men in uniforms and caps help us out
Then force us into lines
Dad is across from me, Mom, and my brother
I smile and blow him a kiss
I wonder what bedtime story he'll tell tonight

But my thoughts are interrupted
A man grabs my brother and me
Pushing us into a crowd of kids I see the girl from earlier
She waves and calls my name
But I can't hear anything, everything goes still
I want my mom and dad I finally understand
What they've been trying to tell me for weeks

I look ahead into a huge fire
I hear chilling screams
My lungs fill with the smoke of death
I plug my nose, I don't want to smell it

Four by four, they push the children in
We're getting closer and closer
We soon reach the pit, my brother and me
The one dignity they allow us is to hold each other's hand

A whip cracks against my back
I know we must jump in
The flames ignite my body
My skin begins to melt I scream for life, trying to wriggle free
But I'm sinking in the ashes of those who went before me

I am shaken awake by my brother
My screams have woken him up
A pool of sweat surrounds me
A relieving alternative to the flames

I go to school that morning
Still haunted by my nightmare
I feel completely numb
While walking down the hallway
I overhear two boys laughing at the punch line
Of some offensive joke about Jews
When will we ever learn?

So I turn around to face the kids
I give them a dirty look
"How can you say that?" I ask
"Do you have any idea how much suffering
The Jewish people endured during the Holocaust?
Over 6 million were killed
Because of their beliefs, their looks, their culture!
How would you feel if your family
Had been tortured and murdered?
Their pain exploited in a disgusting joke?"

The boys' smiles fade
The laughter ceases
I see that I've surprised them,
Taught them something they didn't know
I humbly turn around
Then proudly walk down the hall
I've spread the story of the Jews
And awakened the minds of the ignorant