My Never Ending List

Separate lives, same beliefs,

           separate cities, same destruction.

Each girl’s view of 1941 damaged their trust, leaving them

fighting for their family,

for a piece of themselves and

for the life that they left behind.

Zlatka, observed first-hand, the sudden

rapid-changing invasion. Her home quickly

becoming a lodge, her village a camp and then

her family’s journey inside the boxcars.

Fania, her family worked at night.

Soldier’s boots meant hiding underground.

Protect Leybl, her brother for he is young, smart and strong.

Plans thwarted. Fania jailed. For you cannot hide being a Jew, Fania, even if it is for your brother.

Inside Auschwitz , standing upright after they have chosen their destined lines,

they notice each other.

Shoes off. Clothes off. Hair shaven. Their shower awaits.

Striping off old identities, they are marked with new ones.

“Transported like cattle.

Shorn like sheep.

Branded like livestock.

Housed in a stable.   “

Lost inside these walls, the two have hope for the families

they cannot see. A new family bond is

created inside these walls. Their identities are

never lost and hope exists.

Their future is the question, it holds the question mark.

Oh, how I love that an author can take a dreary subject matter and pull it together using verse. It’s the flow of the words, the emotions that pours out, and the rhythm as you read that the author can achieve using specific words and the arrangement of those words to create a lasting impression. I can’t forget to mention the energy that you feel as you read, I am amazed. I found myself absorbed, settling into each chapter as the girls tried to adjust to their new surroundings. The urgency of their story and the love and drama that came forth through the words really spoke to me. The card that was created, the words written by each of the friends in the factory, showed the true spirit of those individuals.   What a great read!