A poem linking a personal event to one of the great tragedies of the 20th century impresses Alison Chisholm
When an awesome historical event takes place on a date of personal significance, you establish a special rapport with it. If the event is as moving an occasion as the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, the resonances cannot fail to haunt. The natural response of a poet to such a circumstance is to write a poem recognising and commemorating the occasion.
Judith Daniels of Cobholm, Great Yarmouth in Norfolk pinpoints the significance of this particular occurrence on 15 April, her late father’s birthday. She explains that the poem she wrote is not based on fact but on her understanding of her parents’ compassionate nature.