Untitled poem written in Theresienstadt ghetto
Author Unknown *
Today, I saw a thousand people with distraught expressions
Today, I saw a thousand people walking towards nothingness
In the grey of the cold morning, wandered the ostracized crowd
Leaving everything behind which they once called their life.
They walked through the gate
And left all the joy, happiness, prestige outside.
Where will this…
The New Collosus
by Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities…
In celebration of National Poetry Month, 16th Street will feature at least one poem every day (except Saturday) throughout the month of April. Some of these poems are well-known and beloved artistic testaments to Jewish experience. Others are more obscure literary treasures that were discovered in the partners’ collections. These poems have been living in draft books and journals, in the published pages…