TRIAL

THERE IS A LEGEND

PERHAPS IT’S TRUE

THAT A GROUP OF JEWS

ON THE EVE OF THEIR GASSING

AT AUSCHWITZ

PUT GOD ON TRIAL

IT WAS A JEWISH TRIAL

WITH THREE JUDGES

EVERY WITNESS

HAD TO BE BACKED UP

WITH ONE OR MORE

THE CHARGE WAS

THAT GOD HAD ABANDONED HIS PEOPLE

BROKEN HIS COVENANT

ALLOWED GENOCIDE

ONE WITNESS ASKED

WHY IS THIS SHOAH

DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SHOAHS IN OUR HISTORY

WHY SHOULD WE BLAME GOD

FOR WHAT CHRISTIANS

HAVE DONE TO US

FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS

BUT THIS IS OUR SUFFERING

AND WE ARE SUFFERING NOW

WE FEEL GOD HAS ABANDONED US

IN THIS ANUS MUNDI

IN THIS PLACE WHERE THE DEVIL CELEBRATES

WHERE GOD SEEMS TO HAVE A DEAF EAR

TO HIS PEOPLES PLIGHT

ONE JUDGE SAID

HAVE YOU NO ANSWER

TO THESE ACCUSATIONS

BUT THERE WAS ONLY SILENCE

ANOTHER JUDGE SAID

DO YOU AGREE YOU MADE A FLAWED HUMANITY

THERE CAME A SOUND LIKE A MIGHTY WIND BLOWING

THE WIND CRIED GUILTY

THE THIRD JUDGE SAID

WHAT FURTHER NEED HAVE OF WITNESSES

HIS OWN VOICE HAS BETRAYED HIM

THEY JUDGED HIM GUILTY AS CHARGED

THEN AS ONE

SINCE IT WAS EVENING

THE RECITED THE SHEMA

HEAR O ISRAEL, THE LORD IS OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE

FRANK A VOLLMER