Jerzy Ficowski

In memory of   Janusz Korczak What did the Old Doctor do in a cattle car riding to Treblinka on the 5th of August over a few hours of   blood flow over the dirty river of time I do not know What did Charon the volunteer do ferryman without an oar did he give the children the remains of   his breath and leave for himself just the shiver in the bones I do not know Did he lie to them for instance in small numbing doses picking from their sweaty heads the skittish lice of   fear I do not know but for that but later but there in Treblinka all their terror all the tears were against him oh it was only so many minutes a whole life is that a lot or a little I was not there I don’t know suddenly the Old Doctor saw the children become old like him older and older they had to catch up to the grayness of  ash then when he was hit by an Askar or SS man they saw how the Doctor became a child like them smaller and smaller until he was not born since then together with the Old Doctor there are plenty of  them nowhere I know Translated from the Polish