962
Dachau
they
too are of my kind
with
their dogs
with
their own barking
orders
to follow
herding
with bayonets
they
gave numbers
and
when they lost count
the
sun would fell some
they
too are of my kind
the
dead to be counted too
but
the dying are more trouble
it
is alive in my mind
the
corpse bearers shot so as to fall efficiently
they
had lived the one hour more
we
too invoke a statute of limitations
the
skin lives its tattoo
imagine
the everyday all day like this
thinking
of drowning, of poison
typhus,
pole hanging, experiments
with
malaria, freezing water
how
to make you dig a grave
they
too, breathing and kiss good night
the
children whom they love
how
much lighter their world is to be
somewhere
a church rung the hours here too
I
hide this all away from myself, now and then
catch
it in the mirror, how to forgive
what
animal am I? no other does this
they
too are of my kind
think
of the laughter and beer
it
must be and always now
this
place remains the truth
ReplyDeletewhen the church bells rang
they all woke in the morning
horrible instrument
as if we were included
on the other side of the mask
like a panting animal
thing of darkness I acknowledge mine
ReplyDeleteIt's a truth we can't hide from, within and without, wonderful Kit
ReplyDelete