The Train finally grinding
to a halt
Her journey of days
was at an end
Fresh air quelling the
reek of filth
As the cattle car’s
door was opened
Outside a young
soldier in grey
With a look of disgust
on his face
Barked orders with utmost
scorn
Exposing a character utterly
base
With creaking knees she
alighted
And joined the macabre
queue
Suffering the cold to
be sorted
Her only crime, she
was a Jew
*************************
When examined at the ramp
By a man wearing a
white coat
She barely managed to speak
For thirst clenched
her throat
At her old and withered
frame
The man for an instant
stared
Then deftly pointing
to his left
“That line!” he curtly
declared
Solemnly, she walked
to join
The rank in which she
fit best
Women, children, old,
infirm
All desperately craving
rest
*************************
When the slowly rising
smoke
She saw over the
building, loom
Naively ignorant she remained
To the cuing of her
pending doom
Unsure she was whether
fatigue
Or the smog, made her
eyes water
Blurring her already
weak vision
And briefly forcing
her to totter
But both deception and
hope
Her weakness, tried to
quell
And she continued, trusting
That all would soon be
well
**************************
When ordered tersely
to strip
And stand naked with
the rest
Though overcome with
shame
She without protest, undressed
Hanging her clothes to
later reclaim
She set her feet on
the stone floor
A strange chill
running up her spine
When ordered to the bath
hall’s door
And as she entered the
crammed room
She caught a fleeting
glimpse of light
Then the heavy door
slammed shut
The long day giving
way to eternal night
- Kartik Shastry
