A poem by Martha Reingold

In April, the earth grows warm
yellow leaves adorn the willow trees 
gentle rains coax flowers from the soil

In April, good men are born 
nature springs alive
new life begins

In April, tyrants are born 
horror set free
hope left behind

It is the season for remembrance

time for the reading of the list.

Six million names    one million children
with names like 

Chaim, Freydl, Anna, Benyomen,
and Madeliene
from places called
Polska, Russkaya, la Belle France, Nederland, and Deutschland
murdered at
Auschwitz, Theresienstadt,
Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, 

Abramowitz, Nathan, from Odessa, 39 years old, taken from Russia, murdered in Auschwitz
Abramowitz, Ratzel, wife of Nathan from Odessa, 36 years old, taken as slave laborer, murdered in Dachau. Daughter of Sara and Shlomo Prigozen, last seen in Warsaw, taken, destination unknown
Abramowitz, 3 children believed to be the children of Nathan and Ratzel from Odessa, murdered in Dachau.

How many have you lost?
I have lost six million. 

Try to read the names of 
husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, children

A list too long to read
names carefully recorded   saved for
eternity
lives destroyed     unnamed ashes buried
deep in the ground.

Levi, Paul, from Paris, 39, taken to
Vélodrome d’hiver, transported to
Auschwitz, murdered
Belle, wife of Paul, 34, sent to
Ravensbürg, murdered by Mengele
Danielle, daughter of
Paul and Belle,14, murdered at Auschwitz

Levi, Tzvi, from Ghent, taken on foot,
destination unknown, assumed dead

Read from sunset to sunset
end the chant   
then close the book

In April open the book and read

Lietz, Hersh, from Heidelberg, 87,
beaten in the street November 19 1938,
transported to Sachsenhausen, murdered. 

Six million souls 
now hidden skeletons, buried ashes of those
taken
by foot, by train, by truck, in cattle cars
to work in labor camps, death camps

Murdered.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1935, Martha Reingold has lived in Connecticut since the year 2000. She is longtime active advocate for the poor and the mentally ill.  A self-described computer “guru” for 60 years, she recently published her first book, Jewish Wry and Other Slices of Life, a collection of stories, essays, memoir, and poems, available at amazon.com. She may also be reached at martharein32@gmail.com.