I Am
Maia R ( 5th Grade )
I am the Blokova I wonder how long I have to stay here , in this hell I hear curses being thrown at me every minute I live
I see pain writhing in everyone here I want to follow a different path in life than this one
I am the Blokova I pretend to be mean to the zugangi to keep my position I feel cold and hungry I touch the place where my fingers used to be and hold back my tears I worry that I will die here I cry when the children are chosen
I am the Blokova I understand that this is my life now I say that I will survive I dream about my family all together again I try to succeed so that I am not destroyed I hope that the other prisoners will escape I am the Blokova
* This poem is in response to The Devil ’ s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen , a book about the Holocaust
13