Comfort Me - A Poem

By: Chaim Bashevkin

“Totty, Totty
Comfort me”
The little boy
Did cry
“Hold my hand
And please explain
Totty, tell me why

“They beat me up
They stole my toys
They laughed and spat at me
And then they say
We want world peace
We love humanity

“They threw me from
My pretty house
And then they burned it down
And took
My royal robes away
And then they crushed my crown

“Tell me why this happened
When can I go back home?
When will I have my own place
And not be forced to roam

“When will I be able
To walk the streets with pride
Without the pain and anger
I feel so deep inside”

And soon a voice
From way up high
Was heard to those who listened
And they believed
In that Great Voice
Despite the eyes that glistened

“Listen, My dear yingele
One day I will explain
The reason for the suffering
The reason for the pain

“I’ll tell you why they burned
Your house
And took away your toys
And why they said
You’re different
From all the other boys

“I’ll tell you why
They made you wear
That ugly yellow star
And why they sent you
On a train
Away from home so far

“I’ll tell you why the missiles
Fall each day on Sderot
And why they sent you
From your home
To places so remote

“You'll understand
Why bombs do fall
And why does terror reign
And when I open up
Your eyes
I won’t have to explain

“You’ll understand the secrets
You thought you never would
You’ll see a world of miracles
You wondered if I could

“You’ll understand the Cantonists
Your friends were snatched so pure
Never to return again
Back to their Momma’s door

“The day I’ll show you
All the whys
You’ll see a world so clear
And even Leiby will tell you
To wipe away a tear

The boy’s sweet eyes
They opened wide
“Oh, Totty, do you promise?”
He ran to call the kinderlach
“Come, Eli and Shulamis

“And Chaim and Aviva!
And Berel, please come too
Gather round
And listen
I’ve something to tell you!

“Listen, brothers, sisters
One day
He will explain
He promised that
The day shall come
When we’ll forget our pain!

“He said, ‘That day is coming’
I promise that it’s near
I sense the great arrival
I feel it in the air

“So I can live
With suffering
Until that day is here
When He will open up my eyes
And see the answers clear

“He gave me
A small secret
A single word that’s two
It all lies in the promise of
That double nachamu”

Thank you S.L. for telling me about this beautiful poem.