HAIME
Haime does not seek escape
His time, he knows, is through
Haime seeks to cheat his guards
Like every other Jew.
He mutters soft his own Kaddish
To cleanse his sins and faults
Then limps towards the outer fence
And 40,000 volts.
Comments
Sun 18th May 2025 08:15
Good morning John,
Your poem carries a heavy, painful weight, and your words honour that suffering with stark simplicity. The quiet dignity of Haime’s final act — the whispered Kaddish, the desperate hope to cheat fate — is gut-wrenching. The name Haime itself, echoing the Hebrew Chaim (חַיִּים), meaning “life,” adds a profound layer of tragic irony and hope. Paired with that image, it’s a powerful reminder of unimaginable cruelty and the resilience of memory. Thank you for sharing something so solemn and profound.
Regards,
Rolph
If you wish to post a comment you must login.
John Coopey
Sun 18th May 2025 09:05
Thankyou Rolph. We visited Auschwitz last October. Profound, disturbing, harrowing.
Lest we forget.
Redbrick, Stephen A, StephenG, Tom, Aisha, Nigel and David.