49. Freddy Osborn, Kansas City, 1936 Part II
Yesterday I mentioned that something caught me at that exhibit and didn’t let me go; there were several front pages of The New York Times from 1936. The first grabbed me, the second one hit me. Here is the previous post.
The pages both had large articles about Robert Moses opening a new swimming pool. However, on the first, in the lower left corner, was the following news: Hitler had decided that his army should no longer wear blue, the color of past oppression; hence, the Nazi regime decided to switch to green.
And then I thought: if I could make time stop there, I could save millions of people. It was 1936, let them wear green, let them be happy, let them go away. Fall off the face of the earth! The war was too big to wrap my brain around at that moment.
Then there was the second front page. Scan from the upper left corner and read about Robert Moses’s latest swimming pool triumph; another pool had opened and more New Yorkers would survive the heat. Look down to the middle of the page about a family gone wrong.
I read the article and found the intrinsic meaning of my visit to the exhibit that day. It was to write a poem about this family of children, and to be reminded how strong and resilient children can be. Sometimes maybe moreso than adults.
I could wrap my brain and my heart around these children, but I couldn’t save them. They may be long since gone.
5/27/07
Poem inspired by New York Times article August 8, 1936
Freddy Osborn, Kansas City, 1936 ©5/28/07 by the author, all rights reserved
You don’t need to worry about me , sister
I am 9 years old
and I am going to
buy a horse and a wagon
and go way off and live by myself.
My sister Helen is 11 and she’s been takin care of us
since last week; she stands tall and proud.
Some ladies and men are here lookin us over;
Betty is 6, George is 4, and Norma Jean is 3.
Nobody wants me. But I don’t care.
Helen told them she read a book about those orphanages,
she said she wouldn’t let us go.
That we all got to stay together.
We are all good children, she said so.
We can play the combs and make music,
Sounds pretty good.
They all want little Norma Jean.
George needs a spankin’ but not me
Just tell me nice what I have to do, I’ll be good.
But I can always buy a horse and a wagon
And go way off and live by myself.
This all wouldn’t a been happenin’
If step daddy didn’t a killed mama
With that gun, shot her in the face and
Then himself. We all seen it. I miss my mama.
I can always go and buy a horse and a wagon
And go way off and live by myself.
Comments from the parallel universe of Yahoo
(20 total)
That is beyond heartbreaking! How cold that anybody would want some but not all of them, and that poor little boy knew it. And what they had been through, seeing their mother killed that way. That little girl was a grown up at such a young age. I wonder what happened to them? I wonder if there is any way to find out? What you wrote was beautiful, heartbreaking.
It’s weird about the other article. I have always had a fascination with old newspapers. They are like a time capsule. With the pictures, the writing style of the stories, the substance of the stories, even the ads, it gives a snapshot of that day in history like nothing else can. It’s chilling when you come across a story like the one you described about Hitler. It’s as if you are standing back in that day, when people probably read that story and thought little of it, not knowing what was going to happen. But we go back to that day with the benefit of hindsight, and it does feel as if we should have the power to go back and tell the people reading that day to beware. An amazing experience. Great blog. 🙂
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 03:59pm (EDT)
These kinds of situations remind me how cruel life is in so many ways. An insensitive place in so many ways, isn’t it? We manage to survive because we block so many things! But then later we need to take out those skeletons out of the closet and grieve for quite a while.
Our psyches protect us: they have to, in order to survive but then reversing the process takes so long, is so painful! How many accumulated wounds do we all have? Just imagine the real pain of this child. At that age, when we are so vulnerable and depend of adults… Are they really “adults” or just aged?.
The more I read things like this, I can’t help but think: “Life is a bitch!” Yet, it is not life. It is only lack of heart, and a consequence of the same thing.
I truly think it is so important to get inner healing, deep and complete, serious wound after serious wound, because that’s why this rock-cold lack of heart is created. If we don’t heal, we give that exact same thing to others.
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 06:59pm (CDT)
Bravo, my brilliant friends!
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 08:06pm (EDT)
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 08:39pm (CDT)
What a touching poem and story! I spent a half hour on a long heart felt comment regarding this story, but as you can see, I lost it! I’ll try harder next time, untill then, I’m going to buy a horse! and a wagon!
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 09:24pm (CDT)
Good Jimmy, can we stop and pick up Freddy. Poor little guy, I just want to find him and hug him. Pile them all in the wagon and take them home with us. What a haunting story and poem.
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 08:54pm (MDT)
Yes life “sucks” to use a word I rather dislike but so is reality and it is happening every day sad but true-super blog
Tuesday May 29, 2007 – 08:20pm (PDT)
This is heartbreaking and at the same time heartwarming. Children never cease to amaze me, they have an inner strength that we seem to lose as we grow older.
Wednesday May 30, 2007 – 09:06am (NDT)
what a range of emotions i felt reading this…bless the beasts and the children.
Wednesday June 6, 2007 – 10:08am (EDT)
heartrending, the poem captures a sweet child’s personality. What terrible things we do to each other. I’m glad there are poems to help make the world better, aren’t you, especially this one!
Wednesday June 6, 2007 – 10:49am (CDT) Remove Comment
Wow, that just rips your heart out, doesn’t it? Bless you for the story and for the poem.
Wednesday June 6, 2007 – 02:36pm (EDT)
Very touching poem, children are amazing, the best thing in this crazy world. Thanks, Sue.
Wednesday June 6, 2007 – 08:56pm (BST)
Very poignant expressive poem beautifully written thanks.
Thursday June 7, 2007 – 08:07am (NZST)
Thank you for turning a sad story into a beautiful poem. Very moving indeed.
Wednesday June 6, 2007 – 04:18pm (PDT)
There ya go, The Creme De La Creme, you have created something very touching that makes the time spent here time well spent. Many Thanks Sal
Wednesday June 6, 2007 – 08:42pm (PDT)
through a child’s eyes…wow! What we see versus what they see…revealing….very deep thinking here…
Thursday June 7, 2007 – 12:38am (CDT)
Beautiful and touching… This world can be so cruel to the weakest!
Thursday June 7, 2007 – 03:52pm (EST)
All I could do was read and reread the article and your poem and wonder where is this happening today…
Thursday June 7, 2007 – 08:43am (EDT) Remove Comment
Very moving poem. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend. 😀
Saturday June 9, 2007 – 12:13am (CEST)
Bless all the children.
Friday June 8, 2007 – 07:44pm (MST)
Poetry Wednesday: The Party!!
Oh dear Bill, so sorry for this serendipitous, albeit, tragic evocation of such a strong memory. I read many of your memoirs and was so strongly moved by the details of your life and so many issues a young person had to deal with. You, dear fellow are a survivor and I am happy for that. Your stories must be told, they are brilliantly done and fascinating!
Thank you, dear!