1.
no one may on the basis of
their gender
their descent
their race
their language
their home and origin
their beliefs
their religious or
political
views
be prejudged or
privileged
2.
a people of
ex-nazis
and their
devotees
once again practices
its favorite sport
the hounding of
communists
socialists
humanists
dissidents
leftists
3.
those on the right
grin
4.
for example
a party is authorized
so that one
can destroy
the existence
of its members
actually
the nazis were
more honest
admittedly
the new method is
cleverer
5.
thirty years later
there is once again
shall we say
ten thousand
who interrogate
the new gestapo
defend yourselves
perhaps there are newspapers
that will start a column
every day in a display
a mug shot
the photograph of a face
that interrogates
with name
profession
address
and maybe
in most cases
membership number of
the nsdap
then of course
no violence
but rather
go
and mark
the apartment doors
the house
of the torturer
with swastikas
i guarantee you
he will think it over
before he once again
interrogates
he'll run to
his boss
and say
sorry boss
they will
arrest me
it's becoming
too dangerous
he's scared
to death
stop your whimpering
defend yourselves
the best defense is
the attack
(clausewitz)
6.
when
the nazis
during the war
in denmark
wanted to institute the jewish star
the king of denmark wore
during his next ride
the yellow star
on his uniform
why don't
scheel
schmidt
willybrandt
genscher
maihofer
put the jewish star on
when they
read at breakfast
that once again
a teacher
has been tortured
oh i keep forgetting
that they would have to search
for such a report
with a magnifying glass
how about it then
west german media
if you would allow
german dissidents
at least a tenth of the space
that you devote
to the russian dissidents
of course you prefer
to throw stones
from inside the glass house
to focus on foreign shards
than on our own
the new concentration camp
has already been built
the radicals are shut out
from public service
that is enclosed
in a camp
that has been built
for thoughts on
changes
to public service
society
is once again split
into the guards
and the guarded
nothing new
an odour is spreading
the odour of a machine
which produces gas
--Alfred Andersch, 1976
translated by Daniel Gilfillan
