Note: I wrote this piece after reading the Diary of Anne Frank in 8th grade. We were then asked to write a piece on the Holocaust, this was my poem- a piece from the perspective of Nazi Soldier.
The Soldier and The Girl
The girl wanders pensively
amid the spring rain and the cobblestone streets
danger is foreign to her mind in the moment
music touches her spirit with ease
It sings comforting words
that weaken her worry
she is carefree
despite the star on her overcoat
marking that she shouldn’t be
I watch
my eyes blur
recalling back to a day
before cruel reality swarmed in
a flock of ravens over sunlight
They forced the sweet simplicity from my soul
without my knowledge of it
boiled rotten by authority
leaving me stale and stiff
meaningless besides inflicting terror
I can feel my sympathy crumbling
but I’m too scared to stop it
from turning into dust
All too soon she will know the truth
her darling dreams will be hauled away with her
confusion and loss will weaken her
before they dismiss her
absentmindedly
along with other bodies
torn from their characters
to block the guilt from screaming
I can already see
slowly her sullen and sunken face
will be stripped of the small and wondrous flame
her eyes hold amid her dry tears
too scared to speak
and she’s just now buying bread
black umbrella in hand
not knowing who I am
but a silent soldier in uniform
Photo: This picture was taken at my local elementary school, I found this bird one cloudy January day.
Katie Chamberlain ~ Portfolio 