Sad Smile By: Aimee Sad smile Face of a sad angel Joy in his eyes where gone Don’t cry We mustn't give up hope A smile would linger My mind was empty For there is no time to think Snow continued to fall Days went by and tears,  Flowed from his eyes Stop crying I’ll return as soon as possible Wait for me

A-7713 By: Chelsea Wood A name to them, Nothing but a number  “tattooed numbers on our left Arms” Not just the number but the story of his life  Permanent, forever engraved To Elie  The reality is that God is dead,  the God of love, of gentleness and consolation He was gone  Left  When he was expected to save them  To Elie  That number is the devil Because it is everything he did  and everything he went through Someone said to Elie  “Run as if the devil is at your heels” So he ran  And Elie was one of the only ones left 

Lost Faith By: Camille  I became A-7713.    From then on I had no other name.  Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God,   my soul,    and turned my dreams to ashes.  Where is He?     This is where - Hanging here from the gallows.  We were alone.  It’s over God is no longer with us.  Our eyes opened,    only too late.  I no longer pleaded for anything.  Don’t cry,  Keep your anger,  your hate,    for another day.     For later.   Clench your teeth and wait. 

  Death By: Noah I let the SS beat my father, I left him alone in the clutches of death. I knew he was running out of strength, close to death, and yet I had abandoned him. Instead of sacrificing my miserable life and  rushing to his side,  taking his hand, reassuring him, showing him that he was not abandoned, that I was near him,  that I felt his sorrow, instead of all that, I remained flat on my back,  asking God to make my father stop calling my name,  to make him stop crying. So afraid was I to incur the wrath of the SS.  But we no longer feared death,  in any event, not this particular death.  Every bomb that hit filled us with joy,  gave us renewed confidenc

Him By Kaelyn M. By day I studied Talmud and by night I would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple. some of the men spoke of God:  His mysterious ways,  the sins of the Jewish people,  and the redemption to come.  As for me,  I had ceased to pray. I concurred with Job!  I was not denying His existence,  but I doubted His absolute justice. ... " Yisgadal, veyiskadash, shmey  raba… May His name be celebrated and sanctified..." whispered my father. For the first time,  I felt anger rising within me.  Why should I sanctify His name? ... "For God's sake, where is God?" And from within me, I heard a voice answer: "Where He is? This is where— hanging here from this gallows..." ... YOM KIPPUR. The Day of Atonement.  Should we fast?  The question was hotly debated. Apparently, we needed to show God that even here, locked in hell, we were capable ...

Never Shall I Forget By: Reese Never shall I forget how his last words had been my name Never shall I forget the look in his eyes as he gazed at me  Never shall I forget the day that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes Never shall I forget the small faces of the children  whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under the silent sky And the day that I became  A-7713 we were nothing but numbers And  orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace Never shall I forget the lament spreading from wagon to wagon We were told: there is no such thing as a father, brother, friend  Each of us lives and dies alone And to keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later Yet those were the most human words So never shall I forget how under our feet lay men As we marched left, right, left And then I did I left him alone in the clutches of death.

Unexpected Torture By: Osob  My throat was dry The words were choking me Paralyzing my lips We remained sitting in the middle of the street The same hellish sun  The same thirst There was no one left to bring us water No one was praying for the night to pass quickly Our nerves had reached a breaking point Our skin was acing Auschwitz Nobody had ever heard that name The afternoon went by slowly In front of us, Those flames. The smell of burning flesh, We had arrived