1

David Lewit dlewit@igc.org

271 Dartmouth St., 2h
Boston MA 0211
!"#$%&$
'or the students o' (an )ars*i
whom he never told o' his 1+,2 mission
%. -arsaw 1
2
.e turns his /ac* 0
on the trolle1 wires ,
2ight snow dee3ens 4
.orses 'loat in alle1s
-indows /lind in /lac*out 7
ignore his 3assage 5
3ast ha/itations hun*ering +
in the sour wash o' war 10
2ow, the a33ointed doorwa16 11
12
7wo (oshuas 10
one statel1 one wild 1,
s8uint at the courier 14
/ulge their e1es 1
/last rams9 horns 17
'or millions tra33ed 15
in a world o' assassins 1+
7he echoes cling 20
li*e a ghostl1 sur3lice 21
.e gras3s the relic 22
received 'rom his con'essor 20
its touch li*e lam/ 2,
li*e wind 'rom an olive grove 24
2
.is /reath comes hard 27
I will go with You to the ghetto 28
to count women in patched cowls 29
paring rotted onions 30
to time the stripping of countrymen 31
still warm on the cobblestones 32
to memorize the whispers of boys 33
sneaking back from districts 3
where pubs roar with lo!ers 3"
to spy on fair#haired marksmen 3$
eager for rabbis% heads 3&
05
.e tuc*s the remnant o' !hrist9s thin chest 0+
ne:t to his and the two ,0
sli3 through tunnels ,1
as /rothers ,2
%nside the walls ,0
ten thousand wander ,,
a wilderness *eening ,4
over 3romises ,
,7
,5
%%. Bel;ec ,+
40
A rented room Shadows 41
see3 across the rug 42
Beneath the ha;e streetcars 40
sha*e co//lestones 4,
.ours tilt 3in/alls 44
o' memor1< 4
-arm /read 3asses 47
through wire /ehind /arrac*s 45
%n the s*ull6e:3losions 4+
'rom a truncheon 0
designed /1 doctors 1
to leave no mar*s 2
7he wrist 'le:es 0
'or the ra;or9s slash ,
%n a 3u/lic garden 4
his old 3ro'essor tests him
on 8uestions o' 'ate 7
5
Suddenl1< a signal6he s3eeds +
to meet a moon='aced herdsman 70
o' the doomed to don 71
a li*e uni'orm 72
to grease a 3alm 70
again to touch the sca3ular 7,
that *ee3s the 'eet stead1 74
7
Blac* clouds /oil 77
over tram3led 'ields 75
cram3ed /1 thorn1 wire 7+
$oo'less *ings 50
stee3ed in sewage 51
chant 'oor (om 52
3oor Mendel 3oor Anna 50
3oor Moishele 3aral1;ed 5,
in his 'ather9s 'ear 54
na*ed 'ools who /leed 5
'rom hand and 'oot 57
e1eing things distant 55
or dead surging 5+
in a sea o' voltage +0
+1
>istols ?olt cow=e1ed mo/s +2
u3 runwa1s into /o:cars +0
laced with 8uic*lime +,
)od speed* mes chers +4
7he train lingers +
till the last child9s tongue +7
is still +5
++
100
%%%. London 101
102
Yes he9d told them I will 103
seek out the bishops and rulers 10
in tailored suits and tick back 10"
the punctured skulls 10$
the o!ens 10&
the numbers in waiting 108
in the newsreel whose 3ro?ector 10+
was s3i*ed 110
111
A whee;e o' lea3ing dogs 112
sears his heels ;ig;agging 110
over 'lint1 'ish/one al3s 11,
.unger gnaws the /owel 114
in ever1 third class car 11
>rudence /ites the tongue 117
unseen /1 s8uinting e1es 115
11+
@i/raltar at last 120
then winged slum/er 121
in northerl1 s*ies 122
toward soot1 sunlight on St >aul9s 120
to /ee' sic*ening with 'at 12,
to e:iled women choiring 124
cr1stal 3hrases o' >ilsuds*i 12
7o the em/ass19s hush 127
125
a cigarette9s 3ungent rush 12+
his Ariend calm at his /reast 100
7ogether the1 tell 101
tic* /1 deadl1 toc* 102
the minutes le't o' shouting 100
and what the shouting sa1s 10,
104
+randy perhaps, 13$
It%s hard to hear--- 13&
.ay 138
that we shall win the war--- 139
1,0
And a'ter the da19s roar 1,1
'rom 3astoral air'ields 1,2
a silence 1,0
a mu''led thum3 o' the heart 1,,
1,4
1,
%B. America 1,7
1,5
Blac* eagles rise 1,+
in ragged s8uadrons 140
'rom overturned truc*s 141
'rom ri/=caged /arrac*s 142
'rom charred town halls 140
ringed with rotted 'lowers 14,
s3lattered with lead 144
a/andoning dou/le=headed /anners 14
147
Blac* wings /eat west 145
over /a1s slimed with 'uel 14+
oo;ing 'rom gashed hulls 10
over oceans trac*ed with troo3shi3s 11
lum/ering toward s*1lines 12
s3ar*ling against sunset 10
to model homes C winged cars 1,
to the gates o' 'actories 14
where gra1 'lannels walt; 1
with arm1 3in*s 17
to underground la/oratories 15
to ta/les s3read with $iesling 1+
170
to legion halls in !hico3ee 171
!leveland Milwau*ee !hicago 172
where roc*et launchers nest 170
in concrete sla/s out 'ront 17,
where -hite eagles strut with Blac* 174
/ehind the stic*1 varnish o' the /ar 17
ne:t to /ase/alls and 'oot/alls 177
tro3hies o' the >olish 3o3e 175
tro3hies 'rom /un*ers and Bang*o* /aths 17+
150
Men with mildew=hair and /rew 151
tal* o' hard times 152
o' the anchorwoman9s /oo/s 150
o' the candidate9s (ewish wi'e 15,
o' mama9s=/o1s de'ending 154
in 'anc1 whin1 words 15
3ornogra3hers addicts ?iga/oos 157
ever1 wednesda1 ever1 Arida1 155
ever1 must1 1ear 15+
1+0
2ow the19ve s3read the Stars C Stri3es 1+1
o33osite the -hite &agle 1+2
7he cragg1 s3ea*er 1+0
once >olish cavalr1 o''icer 1+,
once courier 'or the #nderground 1+4
'or &uro3e9s (ews 1+
tells in steel1 accent 1+7
how he listened 1+5
how he re3orted 1++
.ow the Minister 200
and the >resident 201
li'ted their e1es a/ove the damned 202
to the clash o' soldiers 200
.ow a (ustice re?ected the 'acts 20,
204
A listener rises 'rom his seat 20
to 8uestion his res3onsi/ilit1 207
/ewish guests after all 208
had outworn their welcome 20+
210
7he old courier9s e1es sei;e 211
the /ulging nec*='lesh 212
o' his 'raternal host 210
21,
.ummoned by lords 21"
to bring ten thousand millers 21$
to our granaries 21&
they built docks 218
roads 219
raised families 220
paid ta0es 221
endured repeated indignities 222
wept 223
endured in!asions 22
prayed 22"
doctored us 22$
fi!e hundred years 22&
Your brothers1guests, 225
22+
Scars on the courier9s 'ace 200
grow hard 201
.e moves 'rom con'ession 202
to communion 200
to legion hall 20,
to lecture hall 204
to 7B studio 20
to state house 207
to clu/house 205
gras3ing the collars o' countr1men 20+
'aster now 2,0
his Ariend is im3atient 2,1
D D D
2"7&S, /1 line
&3igra3h. A'ter --%% (an )ars*i migrated to the #S and won a >hD in 3olitical science. .e
taught at @eorgetown #niversit1 'rom 1+40 to 1+5,. .e a33eared in EShoahF, a
documentar1 a/out the 2a;i genocide o' &uro3ean (ews. )ars*i died in 2000, and in
Ma1 2012 was awarded the 3residential Medal o' Areedom.
%n 1+55 % heard )ars*i s3ea* at the >olish=American !iti;en9s !lu/ in Boston. %
read his .tory of a .ecret .tate, and dra'ted this 3oem. % interviewed him in Stam'ord !7
on 12 2ovem/er 1+55, a'ter he had read the dra't. .e a''irmed that it was historicall1
accurate e:ce3t that the sca3ular was given to him a'ter, not /e'ore, his entering the
-arsaw ghetto6an error which he allowed was within the /ounds o' 3oetic license.
More im3ortantl1, he stressed that he never 3ursued an1one or an1 organi;ation to tell his
wartime stor1, /ut that he res3onded to re8uests, lecturing widel1 immediatel1 a'ter
3u/lication o' his /oo* in 1+,,, and again in recent 1ears. 7his matter was corrected in
the last stan;a /1 eliding the matter o' who as*ed whom.
10 .e/rew Bi/le< (oshua 1<+G <+
21 sur3lice< a 3riestl1 outer garment
22 relic< remnant o' a hol1 o/?ect, in this case, a so't leather sca3ular6re3resentation o'
(esus. See lines 25, 0+, 7,, 100, and 2,1.
, 3romises< @od9s covenant o' 3rotection. Also 2a;i assurances o' sa'et1 in the ghetto.
,+ Bel;ec< the 'irst 2a;i e:termination cam3, in S& >oland
72 li*e uni'orm< cam3 guard9s uni'orm
52 >oor 7om< Sha*es3eare, )ing Lear, %%%.iv H&dgar in madman disguise, 3ersoni'1ing the
calamitous storm on the heath with Lear, his 'ool, and the /lind @loucesterI
+4 @erman o''icers using Arench 3hrases sarcasticall1
100 them< the (oshuasG see 10
12 >ilsuds*i< >olish general, li/erator, and chie' o' state, during and a'ter --%
105=+ >resident $oosevelt9s words
1,2 British 'ighter 3lanes and /om/ers
1,+ /lac* eagles< s1m/ol on @erman im3erial coat=o'=arms, o'ten dou/le=headed
1, winged cars< on !adillacs and other 'ashiona/le American cars
17 3in*s< then current shade o' arm1 dress uni'orm trousers
174 white eagles< s1m/ol on >olish state coat=o'=arms, single=headed
20, Be'ore seeing $oosevelt, Su3reme !ourt (ustice Aeli: Aran*'urter told )ars*i that he
couldn9t /elieve his e:termination stor1.
20 at the >olish=American !iti;en9s !lu/