Her Choice

The willing servant of the Angel of
Death separated mothers from fathers
compassionately leaving infants and 
young children with their despairing 
mothers to be delivered post-haste to 
the chambers that would wrench the 
last gasp of breath from its victims then 
deliver them to the roaring ovens to 
incinerate the remains their charred 
particulate matter soaring to the heavens
falling to the ground to fertilize the 
nearby crops of farming communities 
who paid little heed to matters not of 
their own doing. Only twins were 
delivered to the tender care and  
enquiring scientific mind of Dr. Mengele 
free to experiment on the children 
of that sub-human group reviled and 
scheduled for mass extermination.
Most perished, some survived and
among them one who would never
forget the pain and the torment and
loss of all she knew and loved. In her
freedom she strove to ensure that none
others would forget but she also 
surprised herself and shocked her
cohorts by forgiving. That act alone
setting her apart in recognizing those
who had abandoned their humanity in
dedication to the ultimate evil as, in
her view, pitiable. For herself alone
she forgave, for her forgiveness could
not extend to the brief anguish of her
mother before death overtook her.