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A Poem For The Holocaust

April 11, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

Society tells us, “Stand in line and take a number.”
Well, they make numbers seem so optional now.
And Tattoos no longer taboos.
Make a trend out  of what they brand.

7359624
“Take a number!”
Lines once made for dyin’
Women and children cryin’
Packed-
Moved like cattle
Guns to fists my people battle
And you want me to take a number?

Why don’t I just sew a patch on my arm?
What’s the harm?
I’ll give you a number.
6 million of me filled in line.
Not doing time-
Doin’ eternity.

Brother don’t look at me.
You called that a ghetto?
Your ghetto gets groceries!
I don’t know what a food stamp is.
And your showers have water
That’s different too.
Washing our bodies with toxic gas
Being called Jude
Where the only way your number was gone was burned.
In an oven no less.
The flames of fire cave in your breast.

Heads shaved, shoes stolen, women raped for fun.
Police were public enemy number one.
Crimes against humanity-
Nazis countless, Jews none.

7359624
Take a number! Take a number you say?
Kristlanach was not just some shards of glass on broken sidewalks
But broken dreams from twisted hearts.
And those tears fallen were swept by angels.

Take a number!
But numbers mean nothing
I am a statistic
Of the sadistic-
Time?
You conceder the 1930’s the good ol’ days.
Take a number
7359624
I’ll stand in line, but I already have my number.

Written by YentaPunker for PunkTorah.org

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Random (Feelin' Lucky?) Tagged With: Counterculture, darshan yeshiva, Holocaust, holocaust poetry, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, poem about the holocaust, poems about the holocaust, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, Religion, rememberance day, Torah, Yom HaShoah

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