Hans Frank at Nuremberg
This poem is part of the series Interviews With Vampires. Note that poetry is best read in a browser on a larger screen.
Hans Frank at Nuremberg
Most everything I’ve learned about these crimes
I’ve come to know while sitting in the courtroom.
In truth, the party platform merely called
For the removal of their influence
In government, and other institutions.
There is a fate that brings you to a place
Ignoring what you hope or want. My son
Had just been born, and so I needed money.
He had a matching need for legal counsel.
The strategy of every lawyer here
Is to shift all the blame to Hitler. But,
In a just court, a man who’s been accused
Must be provided a defense. I’ve been
Thinking what I would say; how I would answer.
If not, a legend will emerge. Grass grows
On every ruin. It soon becomes a myth,
And then an object of romantic longing.
In art, there is no light without a shadow,
And even Hitler’s shadow is accompanied by light.
Hans Frank was Hitler’s personal lawyer, and governor of Poland during World War 2. At Nuremberg he was convicted of crimes against humanity.
He was hanged on October 16, 1946.