They will sneer and deceive and betray
And your dignity will remain pristine
They will cast a shadow on your bright day
And you will see how they yearn to be seen
They will scold and criticize and condemn
And you will polish your smile with their scorn
They will turn your sweet silence to mayhem
And you will hear, mid the din, valor's horn
They will denigrate and deny your worth
And you will make music of their crude noise
They will question your place upon the earth
And you will bury them with grace and poise
Be glad of those who make things difficult
Make a whetstone of every insult
About the Creator
D. J. Reddall
I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.
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What did the Nazis do to their prisoners in their concentration camps?
In Nazi concentration camps, countless women endured the horrors of sexual violence, often falling victim to repeated rapes by guards and even other prisoners. These dehumanizing acts left scars, both physical and psychological, that haunted survivors long after the camps' liberation. 😭🤬 Starvation was a cruel tool of torment for Nazi camp prisoners, with meager rations of watery soup and scraps of bread barely sustaining life. Emaciated bodies and sunken eyes were constant reminders of the systematic deprivation that ravaged the camps, leaving many to perish in a state of utter despair. 🤢🤮 Unspeakable experiments conducted by the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele and his ilk remain etched in history as some of the darkest chapters of the Holocaust. Prisoners were subjected to horrific procedures, often resulting in excruciating pain, permanent disfigurement, or death. 💉☠️ The psychological torment inflicted on camp inmates was relentless. From verbal abuse and gaslighting to the ever-present threat of violence, prisoners were systematically stripped of their dignity, autonomy, and sense of self. 🔥😔 In the frozen landscape of winter, prisoners were often forced to endure the elements with little to no protection, leading to widespread frostbite, hypothermia, and death. The bitter cold was yet another weapon wielded by the Nazis to break the spirits and bodies of their captives. ❄️💀 The practice of "selections" at camps like Auschwitz was a freaky ritual, with Nazi guards deciding the fate of prisoners with a mere wave of their hands. 👋🏴☠️ Forced labor was a daily reality for many concentration camp prisoners, with long hours of grueling work in factories, quarries, and fields taking a devastating toll on their bodies. The backbreaking labor was designed to extract every ounce of energy and life from the captives. 🥵⛏️ The death marches of 1945 marked a final, desperate chapter in the Nazi campaign of brutality, as prisoners were forced to endure harrowing journeys on foot in the frigid winter weather. Thousands succumbed to exhaustion, exposure, and starvation, their bodies lining the roadsides. 🥶❄️ The gas chambers of Nazi extermination camps like Treblinka, Sobibor, and Belzec claimed millions of lives in a calculated and systematic campaign of genocide. Innocent men, women, and children were condemned to death simply for being Jewish. 💀🕯️
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Llion the Brave Version 2
Her screams diminished as Llion was dragged away from the cell. The stench in the corridor was less but there was still damp, decay, defecation, death. His feet dragged, like a raggedy puppet, the guard either side of him holding him fast. He could feel their individual fingers digging into his scant flesh, leaving their impression on his bones.
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Comments (10)
I agree with DK. The final couplet says it all, although the road to get there was just as enjoyable
This is excellent! The final couplet was a brilliant stroke!
This is inspiring! I loved this line "And you will make music of their crude noise"
Nice
Love that last line. This is a very powerful message. Great sonnet!
Never let them see you sweat! Loved the line about burying them with grace and poise.
The closing lines instill a sense of gratitude for challenges, suggesting that they serve as a whetstone, sharpening one's character, it is a powerful reminder to embrace difficulties, thank you very much for sharing, love your works, hope to read more, subscribed.
Oooo, I loved this line the most, "And you will polish your smile with their scorn"
In this sonnet, there is a great deal of meat on the bone as far as how criticism is leveled. The best bit is about making insults a “whetstone.” Use barbs as cutting tools to make the individual sharper. Magnificent work.
What a powerful and uplifting poem ! I can feel the rhythm and momentum with the use of rhyme and repetition .... brilliant poem....I liked reading the poem.