Onward Brave Soldier, Onward

Eliezer Wiesel age 14, 1944,
Mother, Father, Sisters; Three
Moshe The Beadle
Cabbala
The little Jewish town of Sighet
Large ghettos, small ghettos,
Block by block in rows of five
Roll call, possessions forgotten, no,
Left behind “under a magnificent blue sky”
And then a train,
A cattle train,
Onward brave soldier, onward
Long hours, standing, never laying, never sitting,
No food, no drinks, no bathroom,
Madame’s prophetic screams, “Fire! Fire! The furnace!!”
Gagged, bound, and silenced with a strike on the head
Germany, Poland, Auschwitz
Prisoners, stripes, Jews
This is it
Men to the Left, Women to the right
Goodbye Mother, Goodbye sisters
Never seen again;
Father’s promise of everything will be okay,
New identities - numbers, different ages, 18 and 40,
Rows of five, just father and I, alone;
Walking towards the fire, the burnt flesh laden smoke,
Stop, stare, say nothing,
Children burning alive, mangled bodies,
Babies thrown into the air, shot;
Left right left, shallow breathing, turning away on command,
Onward brave soldier, onward,
Birkenau, hot showers, food, new clothes, shoes,
Buna, work, bludgeons, barracks and kapos,
Hanged, three men, one angel faced boy,
A curse, a curse, cap on, cap off,
A Kapo and a young polish girl,
For being a witness, whipped, 25 times to the back,
New job, throwing stones, father aging,
Winter, infected foot, infirmary,
Invalid, the Russians are coming near, liberation,
Hospital patients left for dead, deciding to move on with the rest,
Hospital patients liberated two days later,
Left right left, walking, briskly walking, running,
Left right left, snow, snow, slow, stop, die,
45 mile run without stopping, in the snow,
Rest, collapsing in the snow, the ss officer’s uncaring,
Death, death, laying in the snow, eyes closed, peaceful, death,
Onward brave soldier, onward
Buchenwald, father is sick, fever,
Water is poison, he wants water, infirmary,
Doctors leave him to die, I give him my food, and water,
His last words, Eliezer, Waking up, replaced by a different invalid,
Months, months, emotionless, uncaring,
April 11, April 12, 1945, liberated,
Eliezer Wiesel age 15, 1945
Onward brave soldier, onward