The BlueIris Semi-Nightly Poetry Break, 10/23/08

[BlueIris]

"Hitler's Girlfriend"

I might have been Hitler's girlfriend. Maybe
in a speakeasy the slow clack
of his lighter lifted to my cigarette, maybe Adolph
even had a joke. Once the henchmen
would have impressed me, the unusual
moustache. In my youth I might have borne
any insolence, might have taken the lack
of smiles for a sign of brute
and sexual strength.

And the long climb up toward convincing
the self: all hardships his hardships; I didn't know
whose trouble mattered, whose
regret. O the long journey
toward ordinary kindness.

There were those among the rows of Jews
on the black line of train cars
who were told they were going on holiday; women checking
their rouge. There were those among them

who began to understand: men sat
in the sway, in the dark, dark
pressing through
the night. We sat on our suitcases and wept
like old women.

—Terri Ford

[ismnotwasm]

1. Ok

Now that is one of the most frightening poems you've posted. Ugh.

I have a lot of imagery in my mind and very few words, I can connect this poem to a number of situations I experienced or know about, or I imagine our society in the present time where "the lack of smiles for a sign of brute
and sexual strength" is too common, a least in my old, harder world. God. (know that line in that song "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"? That's me)

[BlueIris]

2. The part that resonates most with me is the second stanza: "And the long climb up toward convincing

the self: all hardships his hardships; I didn't know
whose trouble mattered, whose
regret. O the long journey
toward ordinary kindness."

It is very difficult to rediscover (or discover) your own empathy after suppressing it to function in an abusive relationship (or relationships).

[ismnotwasm]

3. I even missed that

Lost in memory, I suppose. And it is a long journey. Thank you. I'll take a peek at the other one in a bit