Das Geheimnis (The Secret) — Felix Nussbaum (1904, Osnabrück–1944, Auschwitz) — public domain
Listen. Listen! Can’t you hear? The old folks nod, they’ve heard it all before, the swelling sound of jackboots, clarions of death and fear. Look. Look! Can’t you see? The old folks nod, they’ve seen it all before, the dimming of the lady’s torch, the daughter’s blindfold ripped, the scales of equity tipped. Grey heads shake and nod, they’ve seen and heard it all before, and they did shout out, never more, never more! But still, the sound of jackboots swells, and they wonder, their generation all but gone, why no one seems to care, their message sung, their voices lost, the stars of death they wore abused and ridiculed by spiteful people who ignore. Listen. Listen! Can’t you hear, the dimming of the torch?