Holocaust poem moves teacher
February 28, 2012 2:00 AM
STRATHAM — Cooperative Middle School English teacher Melissa Tobey shared a poem written by seventh-grade student Ryan Burchill. He wrote this poem after a monthlong study of the Holocaust in both English and social studies classes.
Tobey called his poem heartfelt and incredibly touching. It is titled, "A Comprehension of the Holocaust."
I understand.
Or at least I hope I understand.
Six million Jews perished.
One and a half million of whom were children.
Five million others of different religions or beliefs went with them.
Facts.
That is what all of these are, but what do they truly stand for, what do they really represent?
"Lives," I say.
People just like us once were, but have drifted into the unknown we all come to know as death.
Some, perhaps many, are unknown to us, but they will never be forgotten.
No.
There are too many people who have died, and some survivors who have witnessed far too much to ever forget their struggles, too many families forever scarred, children without their parents, and parents without their children.
Too many bad choices made by a lost and hateful society,
Creating an ethnic void in humanity, eleven million souls deep, and an eternity wide.
But out of all of this chaos and despair comes a second-chance of sorts, a God-given opportunity to teach the next generation of the horrors of the Holocaust, so as to prevent the occurrence of such a horrible time ever again.
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