Victory by Sonia Weitz

Victory is a poem, written by holocaust surviver Sonia Weitz. The poem is about finding a glimmer of hope in such a dark and dreadful place. Sonia sneaks into her fathers barracks to see him, and he asks her to dance with him. This is their first and last dance together. Sonia says her dance with her father made it seem as if "The ugly barracks disappeared. There was no hunger.....and no fear."

The part of the poem that really stood out for me was the last line/quote, " There are no tools to measure love and only fools would fail to scale your victory." I think this quote really outlines love and the poem. Even though the conditions were terrible, their love for each other overcame it. This line aslo explains why the poem was named "Victory". It was their victory in a sense that they overcame the odds and reunited with each other for one, last dance. The love they had for each other and the special moment they shared while dancing was not going to be spoiled by the impending demise they would suffer.

A connection I have about this poem was one I had with my grandfather. I was around seven and my grandfather in Melbourne, Australia was in hospital very ill. He had severe diabetes and was having two of his toes amputated. He was in a great deal of pain and I was worried about whether he would cope with his balance and walking again. I was also scared that his life would shortened through suffering diabetes. I visited him daily in hospital and played crazy 8s, a card game which he enjoyed playing. I felt the hour or so we played each day, helped him to forget his pain and the condition he was in. I also felt that I was sharing a special time with my grandfather as I was not sure whether he would return to 100% health after the operation. For that one hour we played, it was like he wasn't ill as we laughed and chatted together. I also was worried that I may not see my grandfather again as he was quite old and I live here in KL.

As it turned out, he had to walk with a cane after the surgery and I did see him one more time when he and my grandma stopped to visit me in KL. I will always remember my grandfather laughing and playing Crazy 8s in the hospital with me. I think this is similar to the dancing dancing scene in the poem where a special and unforgettable moment can be created even though the situation seemed doomed and hopeless.

VICTORY BY SONIA WEITZ:

I DANCED WITH YOU THAT ONE TIME ONLY.

HOW SAD YOU WERE, HOW TIRED, LONELY…

YOU KNEW THAT THEY WOULD “TAKE” YOU SOON…

SO WHEN YOUR BUNK-MATE PLAYED A TUNE

YOU WHISPERED: “LITTLE ONE, LET US DANCE,

WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE.”

TO GRASP THIS MOMENT… SENSE THE MOOD;

YOUR ARMS AROUND ME FELT SO GOOD…

THE UGLY BARRACKS DISAPPEARED –

THERE WAS NO HUNGER… AND NO FEAR.

O WHAT A SIGHT, JUST YOU AND I,

MY LOVELY FATHER (ONCE BIG AND STRONG)

AND ME, A CHILD…. CONDEMNED TO DIE.

I THOUGHT: HOW LONG

BEFORE THE SONG

MUST END

THERE ARE NO TOOLS

TO MEASURE LOVE

AND ONLY FOOLS

WOULD FAIL

TO SCALE

YOUR VICTORY……..