“O, Fatherland”

Renée Antrosio – September 20, 2022 1 Comment

Our tireless and prolific poet, Vern Fein, shares a timely verse that dovetails with the Auschwitz Art Exhibit displayed in our sanctuary. And he highly recommends the movie :). May we be strengthened for the work.  -Renée

CABARET REVISITED

On the  TV news, I watch the faces
of people wearing red hats.
When their hero appears, 
they stand at the bar,
raise their beer glasses
in praise. The bartender shrugs, 
carefully tops the foam.

The scene reminds me 
of the iconic movie Cabaret,
when American brat Liza Minnelli
charmed the audience,
Joel Grey mastered his Liebshen
and mocked the Jewish gorilla.

Nazis terrorized Jews,
killed Frau Landauer’s pet dog,
left the bloody corpse,
rang the doorbell,
ran away like
a crude Halloween trick.

As Count Maximilian hustled 
Sally in the beer garden, a blond, 
blue-eyed Hitler youth rose up, 
sang a chilling patriotic song.
O, Fatherland, Fatherland inspired
broken, poor and angry
Germans to stand, join
the rousing tune, 
plant their hopes firmly 
like a flag for der Fuhrer.

The Nazis viciously beat voters
at polls, their uniformed soldiers appear
in eerily greater numbers 
filling the final bar scene.

Today, our own frustrated
rise to salute a different tyrant,
recover their pride, 
hoping, once again,
to be saved.

O, FATHERLAND, FATHERLAND
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!