Erika: Poems of the Holocaust

Rating:
Summary: very moving
Review: Better than any personal opinion on any poetry, would be a sample of it.

TO THE ONLOOKERS

When our backs are turned, when someone stares at us, we feel them. You who watched the killing, and did nothing, still feel the eyes of those dead on your bodies.

How many see you as you pick a violet? How many oak branches twist into hands begging for help? How many memories congeal in the sun's evening blood?

O the unsung cradlesongs in the dove's nightcries-- so many would have loved their own stars in the night skies, but now only the old well can do it for them.

You did not murder, but looked on, you, who could have been changed into light.

All the poems are powerful and moving, but that one really struck a chord with me being a survivor of abuse. I know that child abuse can't compare to the holocaust, that's part of the reason why I read about it, to put the abuse in perspective.

In many instances in life, when people are going through something awful, almost always, someone can intervene. But most people tell themselves that its none of their business, or "They made their bed, now they can sleep in it". A lot of awful things can be prevented or atleast somewhat remedied, if someone would just say "this isnt right" or "no more". Too many onlookers out there

Rating:
Summary: Quiet Reflections
Review: Rarely does a writer/poet capture the horrors of the Holocaust so vividly that the reader can transport themselves back in time to a horrid time in history. William Heyen does just this in Erika Poems of the Holocaust. Each poem, in simplistic, readable language, explores another atrocity of the Holocaust. It is a must for anyone interested in the Holocaust. As a teacher, I found it very useful with my students. They were able to relate to the poetry and even created some of their own. This book is must!