In the landscape
Monsters dwell
Bearing misery and pain
Destroying all hope
Words with no promise
Just cruelty with hate
No compassion, no excuses
Just barbwire and dogs
Keeping their humanity
While surrounded by monsters
Holding hope tightly
As their music played out
Carrying their dignity
While surrounded by monsters
The camp band played
Restoring life from the dead
Pardoned only in concert
Seldom given quarter
Forced to perform
Playing to stay alive
Playing to get lost in the music
Playing to forget where they are
Playing to keep their humanity
Playing to stay alive
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Author:
No Quarter (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: February 11th, 2020 12:41
- Comment from author about the poem: I watched a film about musicians that were composing and performing music in the concentration camps in Poland in WWII. Being able to play an instrument saved peoples many lives and enabled them to hold on to their humanity and dignity. It inspired me to write this.
- Category: Sociopolitical
- Views: 11
Offline)
Comments1
There is a quartet by Messiaen called "The Quartet for the End of Time" that he wrote while in a prison camp in WW2, he wrote it for the only four instruments and players he could find so it is for clarinet, violin, cello and piano - I think it is a wonderful piece of music telling of his time as a POW.
https://youtu.be/QAQmZvxVffY
Yes you can get lost in music. Good write.
Andy
There is a Italian composer who has been collecting all the works written during that time in the concentrations camps. He is bringing the music back to life by finishing the unfinished compositions. He is also having orchestras play the music to bring it out of the camps and into the world where is belongs.
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