How Many? | Teen Ink

How Many?

January 30, 2015
By Olivia-Atlet ELITE, Dardenne Prairie, Missouri
Olivia-Atlet ELITE, Dardenne Prairie, Missouri
325 articles 10 photos 1165 comments

Favorite Quote:
"To these the past hath its phantoms,
More real than solid earth;
And to these death does not mean decay,
But only another birth"
- Isabella Banks


How many speeches did it actually take?

How many accusations did they have to make?

 

Was it sixteen? 

Was it twelve? Was it just one?

I wonder now that it's all said and done.

 

How many Jews did they kill out of hate?

How many children were chosen by fate?

 

How many doors were left wide open?

How many words were left unspoken?

 

How many humans turned into beasts?

How many people died in their sleep? 

 

I wish it were peaceful, I wish it weren't true,

But in the end, there's still residue.

 

Six million people screaming to live.

Many turned away, they wouldn't forgive.

 

How many beautiful dreams were crushed? 

How many deaths were hastily rushed?

 

How many towns were undone at the seams?

How many nations started picking teams?

 

How many coffins were filled with Ash?

Why was it such a hard force to smash?

 

Now that I've seen all  of the facts,

I realized there was one set of tracks.

 

How many men did it take to begin?

One, just one,

And it could happen again.


The author's comments:

I wrote this in response to an article I read in school about the Holocaust. It hurt to think about all of the smile, the hands, the lives that were lost. Never forget the six million who died unnecessarily. 


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This article has 2 comments.


on Mar. 11 2015 at 2:55 pm
PureDrawings BRONZE, Chandler, Arizona
3 articles 43 photos 230 comments
Beautifully done

on Feb. 9 2015 at 11:03 am
Nightingale74 PLATINUM, Beavercreek, Ohio
46 articles 0 photos 152 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When you need something to believe in, believe in yourself."
"A poem unwritten is only a thought; unshared, unsaid..."

Beautiful poem, Liv!! I can really feel the emotion in this poem...there's anger there, as well as sadness, but its controlled anger, which I think is key. The Holocaust was such a shameful, hideous time :( It makes no sense to me how people could think doing that kind of stuff to other people was okay. But nonetheless, I think this poem is a beautiful tribute to those who list their lives during the Holocaust. Great work!! :)