Introduction: We received a call from subscriber Joe Brown in Toronto, who was very proud of his 15-year-old grandson Mitchell, for having composed a Holocaust-themed poem. Joe sent us the poem and, although I said to him that I wasn’t sure we had enough space to print it in its entirety in the newspaper, I assured Joe we would post it to our website.
But, I told Joe I wanted to know more about Mitchell, so he contacted Mitchell and asked him to get in touch with me.
When I spoke with Mitchell, I asked him to describe how he had come to write his poem. What follows is the explanation Mitchell sent us.
“My name is Mitchell Brown and I’ve always had a passion for writing. Through my schooling, my teachers have encouraged me to begin to share my writing with other readers and use my words to spread meaning. So, I decided to take a plain old school assignment in history class and share powerful emotions and words on a very serious and difficult topic. The result was my Holocaust poem titled “A Mothers Nightmare in Auschwitz Death Camp.” I decided to make this poem a reflective piece to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. I feel so disappointed when peers my age have little knowledge of the tragedies of the Holocaust, and I feel that it is the job of the youth to have a voice and spread awareness on important topics such as the Holocaust. I’ve learned throughout my writing the most powerful tool to spread messages and share emotions is through words. My poem follows a mother and her two children as they enter Auschwitz death camp, a common narrative that too many innocent Jewish families underwent. The poem captures the emotions and thoughts that this family experienced.”
“A Mother’s Nightmare in Auschwitz Death Camp”
By Mitchell Brown
Hilda felt confusion
Where are we she wondered
Why are we here she pondered
She and her two boys exited the cattle car
Why are we being grouped up
A menacing building appeared in front of Hilda
A large factory she thought as big as a city
A huge city
With the words Arbeit Macht frei
She knows that means work sets you free
Am I working
Why do I need to be set free
She asked questions
She thought the worse
Her heart was pounding
The ground she stood on felt rock hard like stone
Scared and numb she felt
Cold and anxious
Screams so loud
It looked like a place from a nightmare
What they are creating in this factory
Smog coming from the building
Deep earthy stench pumping out of the building ahead of her
Clouds of burnt smog
Hilda had never smelt this type of smog before
It confused her and her children
Large hoards of people were being pushed
Separated like cattle at a farm
Nazi soldiers yelling with authority
Humans everywhere
She felt like an animal
What is this smog why is it so cloudy
The smog smelt as burned as a campfire
Why does it smell like that
Hilda’s young boys hated the stench
It must be smog from a factory my children
We are here to help out at this factory
Hilda repeated to her children
Natural intuition
Something isn’t right here
Why are my children here
Tattoos
Scary strong Nazi men
Giving tattoos
Numbers
Are we humans
Why am I number
Why are my children a different number than me
I want them to know my name
Not a number
I feel so scared
I want to be a human
Is this a factory
What are they making
Are they burning something
Why am I labeled with a number
93102
What does this mean
If so what
What are they burning
Getting nervous and her heart is thudding
Calm down Hilda
Take a deep breath
You will be back home soon
In your warm comfortable safe town soon
Come now boys don’t be scared
Hilda calmed her children
With her soft Mothers voice
You will be safe in my arms
Soldiers were separating family taking kids away from parents
Like robots systematically dismantling families with no remorse
Like water and oil
Children and parents apart far apart
The boys are gone
Where did they go
A soldier took all the children
Where are my children
Her throat was pulsing
Hilda cried
Hilda was grabbed by a soldier
She shouted to the soldier
Where are my children
No response
Hilda never seen her two children ever again
Four weeks later
Skinny and weak
Hungry and scared
Dirty and sore
Soldiers are moving us like farm animals
Hordes of crowds
Numbers all have numbers
All in pajamas
Nazis said we are going to bathe
Hilda needed it she was weak and dirty
A crowd of 700 people were shoved into a dark cold room with no windows or light
Shower time shouted a German soldier
All naked
She and 700 other frail and malnourished numbered people were here
Door locked
No escape she thought
All had numbers on their wrist
Why are we numbers
A shower with numbers
Strange and unknown
Scratch marks on the walls of this shower room
Hilda was crammed
Where is the water for this shower
Why are we all naked and packed like sardines
I’m scared
Help me god please
Crammed into this dark cold terrifying room
She felt numb and fearful
Desensitized and anesthetized
All she could think about was her children she had not seen them for 4 weeks
Their gentle smile
Where are they
She questioned
Where did they take the children
I love them
I want sympathy
Relief and reassurance
Her last thought in her mind was her two beautiful children
There short brown hair and green eyes
Their tender and humane skin
They’re comforting and cheerful voices
I can’t escape this
Thud
A mechanism clicked and vents above opened
People were screaming in terror
Scratching on the walls for freedom like nails on a chalkboard
I want to be a human again
This isn’t a shower
Good night my dearest children she thought
I’ll see you guys soon
I love you
Auschwitz Death Camp is responsible for 1.1 million deaths out of the 11 million victims of the Holocaust.
We must never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust.
We vow never again.
Good night my dearest children she thought
I’ll see you guys soon
I love you
Auschwitz Death Camp is responsible for 1.1 million deaths out of the 11 million victims of the Holocaust.
We must never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust.
We vow never again.
