They were good Christians
whose voices drifted from quaint small churches with stained-glass windows
they knew every word of every hymn
they sat attentive and faithful in the same pew every week
they prayed with fervent heart and bended knee
They were good patriots
who waved flags side by side
who sang with all their might
who fought until their clothes were battle-torn and crimson
and their loved ones wept with grief and pride
They were good fathers
who sang lullabies by firelight
who tucked their children into warm beds
who held a little girl's hand when she was sick
and whispered strength when a son was afraid
They were good sons
they were good brothers
they were good friends
they were good men
their son, their daughter, their mother, their father, their sister, their brother, their friends said
But they were Nazis, I said
for I was a Jew
and I knew the holocaust to be true
and I had the scars, the numbers to prove what I knew
for I knew them better than you
