Boston North Inc.
Present Memories
Like most survivors, I indulge in ‘selective memory’ – form of self defense – but in 1969 there were public hangings in Baghdad and news cameras depicted images which quickly triggered memories of other executions. . .
Collective punishment was common in the concentration camps, but often the Nazis devised tortures explicitly for their amusement . . . .
In the ancient city of Baghdad
(once the cradle of civilization)
Jews are hanging ‘pon the gallows
In a public square.
A blood-
Soon gathers and cheers
And the Jews are dead.
Did you ever bear witness
To a public hanging?
I did.
I remember well
The suspended bodies,
Especially that of the boy
Not yet fully grown –
And of course, the old man
O, that old man
Dangling . .. .
And the band was playing
( I can hear it now)
Brassy and so very loud,
But not loud enough
To drown out the sound
Of their final heartbeats.
Ashen were the faces
Forced to look upon the gallows,
Upon the convulsed remains
Swinging in the bloody sunset
Limp and grotesque . .
Dead but not yet useless,
Not to our tormentors;
For them the fun had just begun
And we, the starved, the frozen
Remnants of humanity . . .
We were ordered to march
Eyes to the gallows, single file,
To the music, to the laughter,
To the Nazi’s merriment;
For their amusement
We marched.
Oh, it took forever;
The sun disappeared
And the stars came out
And still we marched . . .
We stumbled and fell
And we prayed for death
But the march went on,
Till upon my soul
A picture was wrought
Not to be erased
Ever . . .
Later that night
Our masters tired
And we were dismissed,
It was all over . . .
Except for the smell
Of burning flesh
And the smoke on the hill
That still lingers on
And on . . . in my mind,
In my heart,
In my very soul . . .
Forever.
Many years have passed
But much has not changed.
Once more Jews are hanging
In a public square,
Executioners cheer . . .
And the bloody sun
Glares undisturbed
‘pon this callous planet . . .
This world that really
Doesn’t give a damn,
This human race;
Just a bit embarrassed
And a little sad . . .
Swiftly turning
To something less upsetting,
more pleasant,
More trivial . . .
From Plaszow to Baghdad
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