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Hell Does Not Last Forever by Naiya

Hell Does Not Last Forever
My soul had been invaded and devoured by a black flame.
Why did I pray?
Why did I live?
Why did I breathe?
Blessed be God’s name
But why would I bless Him?
God is testing us,
I no longer accepted God’s silence.
The silence became more oppressive.
I no longer pleaded for anything,
How can I believe?
Where is merciful God?
How can anyone believe in this God of Mercy?
How could I say to Him:
Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe
Who chose us among all the nations
To be tortured day and night.
To watch our fathers, our mothers, our brothers
End up in flames?
Why would You go on troubling these poor people’s wounded minds?
You have betrayed,
Allowed them to be tortured, slaughtered, gassed, and burned.
What do they do?
They pray before you!
It’s over. God is no longer with us.
Don’t cry.
Keep your anger, your hate.
For Hell does not last forever.

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Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 24, 2018 at 3:53 PM

    The idea you're trying to portray is very strong throughout the entire poem. Towards the end, you mention that God betrayed them by choosing the Jews to be tortured. In the beginning when you say
    "Why did I pray?
    Why did I live?
    Why did I breathe?"
    it really makes you think about what made Elie believe in God so strongly in the beginning, and what state his mind is in now too so strongly disbelieve in god. overall I think you did really well! Great job!:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 27, 2018 at 8:33 AM

    Naiya,

    This is a very powerful and striking poem. Your word choice is remarkable and you are very clear about your theme, especially when you say:

    How could I say to Him:
    Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe
    Who chose us among all the nations
    To be tortured day and night.
    To watch our fathers, our mothers, our brothers
    End up in flames?

    These words stood out to me because they are so eloquent, even though it is a found poem. You channel Elie's inner struggle through these words, his sense of "Why me? Why us?", and it is amazing. Overall, this is an incredible poem.

    ReplyDelete

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