They could barely contain his might

On the first night

He came to that place

His hair flowed to his knees

And his great arms strained at the fetters in which they were bound

On the final night

Though his locks were shorn

Though his eyes-sockets were gouged

Though his flesh hung in tatters from his frame

His arms made the pillars tremble

And he lifted up his head, and his great cry echoed

Throughout that barren night

So that his captors trembled, and all those who saw

Trembled

And the ovens of Treblinka

And the death-chambers of Auschwitz

And Bergen-Belsen, Majdanek

Neuengamme, Theriesentadt, Bielsko

All trembled to their core

And then he fell silent, and did not struggle anymore

And I will never forget this.

And I can never forget.

M. Rephun (c) 2007