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Unread 04-30-2012, 08:38 AM
Maryann Corbett's Avatar
Maryann Corbett Maryann Corbett is offline
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Shaun, I disagree; the poem gives the reader plenty to hang on to.

It's set in 1945, either near the end or just after the end of World War II. It's in Germany, in the Black Forest. "Hutte," with the umlaut, is a hut, a small shelter, and "safe room" suggests to me that this was a hiding place. The repetition of "they lived here once" tells us that the speaker is fixed on the past-ness of "they," and that we must infer that they are dead. We can infer that they were Jewish and in hiding. By the end of the poem we know that the speaker feels the presence of their ghosts.

I do have to work a little harder with lines 4-8 than with the other lines. I have to puzzle out that, like the stubbornly remaining leaves, the "they" of the poem hung on, refusing to leave their old lives entirely by fleeing the country.

Sometimes a worthy poem leaves it up to the reader to do a little work.

And there are subjects that are simply more real to people of a particular age. Those of us who had parents who lived through WWII were exposed to more re-thinking of those years, publicly and privately, than younger people were.
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