Anger,
as black as a hook,
overtakes me.
Each day,
each Nazi
took, at 8:00 A.M., a baby
and sauteed him for breakfast
in his frying pan.
And death looks on with a casual eye
and picks at the dirt under his fingernail.
Man is evil,
I say aloud.
Man is a flower
that should be burnt,
I say aloud.
Man
is a bird full of mud,
I say aloud.
And death looks on with a casual eye
and scratches his anus.
Man with his small pink toes,
with his miraculous fingers
is not a temple
but an outhouse,
I say aloud.
Let man never again raise his teacup.
Let man never again write a book.
Let man never again put on his shoe.
Let man never again raise his eyes,
on a soft July night.
Never. Never. Never. Never. Never.
I say those things aloud.
Something the warlockian German nation must wear,forever.
I love this poem I am so great also
many versions of this poem include the last line which displays an obvious volta in the text and changes the meaning of the poem:
I beg the Lord not to hear.
the holocaust is a vehicle for this poem. it is about anger and how, while it is a necessary emotion for survival in the most loathsome and horrific of situations, it must not be the sole ruler of one’s life.
I think that these poem is about the staining of the human race done by Germans.
Cool
I find it incredible that both of you have missed entirely where this poem came from. Ever heard of Theodor Adorno? I doubt you have. Look him up immediately, along with the phrase “poetry after Auschwitz.” According to Adorno, this poem was barbaric.
Dig a little deeper next time.
Thank you, Marivi. I really don’t think that anyone could have put that better. The Holocaust is such a horrible thing that shames the otherwise amazing German culture and history. Germans should be proud of their heritage, country, and history, but there should be NO racism involved!!!
After Auschwitz is an absolutely diret poem. It makes us think about the cruelty of the Human Being.