"The Journey" by Siole Bailey


           The Journey by Siole Bailey

 On everybody’s back, there was a sack.
In everyone’s eyes, tears, and distress.
We too were scared.
Of the adventures that we would face.

My father was crying.
It was the first time I saw him cry.
I had never thought it was possible.
As for my mother, she was walking, her face a mask, 
without a word, deep in thought.

We finally arrived at our destination.
Throwing down our bundles, 
we dropped to the ground:
“Oh God, Master of the Universe, 
In your infinite compassion,
Have mercy on us …”

But we were pulling into a station.
Someone near a window read to us:
“Auschwitz.”
Confidence soared.
Suddenly we felt free of the previous night’s terror.
We gave thanks to God.

"Yisgadal, veyiskadash, shmey raba . . .
May His name be celebrated and sanctified . . ."
whispered my father.





Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2019 at 12:17 PM

    Siole,
    You wrote a very affecting poem. It tells a clear story and the theme is woven evenly throughout it. One of the most impactful passages was "My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it was possible."

    Well done,
    Parker

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 5, 2019 at 6:38 PM

    This was a very powerful poem.

    ReplyDelete

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