©1994
Once upon a long, long time ago,
As tales of old begin,
In another age, when I was new
And my years were few,
I sat on top of a red–hot powder keg
With a burning fuse sticking out
And looked at the world
With a smile and hope.
I did not know that red–hot powder keg,
In the middle of a tottering old bridge,
Was about to explode over a bottomless pit.
I saw a man, kind. laughing, joking,
Throw off his mask when he looked at me
And change into a monstrous, cruel beast.
He glared at me through burning red eyes,
"Jew' he growled and spat fire at me
Through poisoned fangs and hate–twisted lips.
I asked myself, holding on to the top
Of the red–hot powder keg
With the burning fuse sticking out,
About to explode
In the middle of a tottering old bridge
Over a bottomless pit,
What did I do, born as a Jew,
Young as I was, to make a man hate me
Who knew me not,
Change into a satanic fiend?
My world was about to explode.
I was forced into a deadly fight
After all the years that raced away
In the perilous currents
Of the river of time,
Amazed and grateful I am this day,
HE saved my life,
When I jumped off that red–hot powder keg
With the burning fuse sticking out,
Before it blew up and destroyed
That tottering old bridge
Over a bottomless pit.
Screaming raging devils tried
But caught and killed me not,
Because across the ocean came helping hands
In time guided me into a saving land.
The beast, twisted beyond reason by hate,
Sleepwalking, dead while alive,
Provoked by sick leaders,
Fearful, hateful, blind teachers
Immoral, corrupt priests and teachers,
Ancient lies, superstitions slander and greed,
Never, ever robbed me of my smile and hope.
Its a long and deadly story
Through which I lived,
Of which I write and often speak.
The beast was, still is, unable,
No, no, no, not unable,
The beast is unwilling and afraid to think,
Lost all humane feelings
And no longer resembles a human being.
Today the forgotten killing fields,
Fertilized with the blood of millions of victims
Not only of Jews,
Who were killed because they were Jews,
But to many of all races and creeds
Who dared to think and see truth and disagree
With the moral decadence of past and present ages,
Are covered with lush green grass and fragrant flowers. Clouds of smoke and ashes
Above the blood–soaked earth
And fragments of human bone
Buried barely below the ground,
Are the only traces
Of millions of human beings.
Shady trees in lonely pastures
Stretch into the heavens,
Mourn silently into the skies
And caress with love the spirits
And the memory of lost souls
Floating gently in the winds,
Throughout the years and bitter tears
I wonder why
That tale of long ago
Disturbs me when I sleep?
The red-hot powder-keg
With the burning fuse sticking out,
Though I escaped in time.
Seared my soul
For all of and beyond my life.
A terrible fact emerges from all of this.
The beast today still exists.
Forgotten nightmares continue
To disturb my restless sleep.
That obscene and deadly hate
And the horror it creates,
Ages ago engraved indelibly in my mind,
I thought I escaped,
When I jumped off the red-hot powder keg
About to blow up
And ran over the tottering old bridge
To save my life
Before it fell into a bottomless pit,
This day still exists.
In the middle of many nights
When darkness hushes the noise of daily life.
I know not why, I wake from uneasy sleep,
Soaked with perspiration and tears in my eyes.
Too often I wonder why I feel uneasy,
As if for me alone it is a sin,
I deserve it not, I have no right,
To walk on fragrant paths
Through quiet fields,
With colorful flowers
Illuminating bright green grass,
And shady trees spreading over me
The illusion of a sweet feeling
Of love, of safety, of peace.
I formed a painful question
In the silence of one night,
When old nightmares
Woke me from a deep sleep: WHY?
I found the answer, of all places,
In the keyboard of my machine,
When my fingers without apparent control,
Formed words and sentences on the screen.
The answer is simple.
Too many centuries were we brainwashed
Even today, we follow blindly and willingly
And die for, sick religious and political leaders,
Bestial monsters without compassion,
And accept their hate and lies as our own.
Far, far away from this blessed land,
When I was new and my years were few,
Parents, politicians, schools,
Teachers, priests and preachers
Should have taught us
To accept with loving hearts
The truth of our moral laws,
That they apply to all
And not to a criminal few.
Parents, politicians, schools,
Teachers, priests and preachers failed.
They never understood the truth.
They never grasped the task.
In the struggle to control the minds
Of sleepwalkers, dead while alive,
They blacked out the wisdom and the beauty
Of life without hate, without strife.
They taught, often still teach
Hate, war, destruction and death
And blind obedience to ancient lies
INSTEAD OF LOVE.
The tasks, the thoughts are simple,
As are all great tasks and thoughts.
This day, from now on
(It is never too late),
Parents, politicians, teachers,
Priests and preachers,
Teach us, help us,
For the love or God
And the future of life on this earth,
For the love in our hearts for humanity,
Teach us to follow intelligently,
With love for all people,
Regardless of religion, race or color
Only enlightened, humane leaders.
Teach us to understand and accept
With love in our hearts
All human beings on this earth.
We are connected to one another
With the Divine Light and Truth.
All of us are sisters and brothers.
Grant us Lord of All, the wisdom and courage
To refuse to sleepwalk through life,
Like blind and mindless sheep.
Help us, please,
Help us please find the will
To help ourselves
WE DO KNOW HOW.
LORD, SPREAD OVER US AND OVER OUR WORLD THE BLESSING OF YOUR PEACE.
©1994
