In Auschwitz

Alone within a sea of numbers,
etched upon the skin and minds with permanence
that time will never dull,
I watch, as over time we dwindle
fading into shells and losing all
that once was vibrant and alive within our hearts.
These eyes now dull and vacant show the world
how death has etched its name upon our souls
and even though we breathe, the stench corrupts
our dreams and brings our torment home.
Enduring in this hell on earth where hope and
light have dwindled from my heart I wonder,
if I'd found the boot upon my foot I would
have had the courage to say "Nicht?"

Written for a club challenge to write a poem either as a prisoner or a guard in Auschwitz and to include at least one German word.