Holland, 1945 | Teen Ink

Holland, 1945

January 9, 2023
By i-am-a-ghost13 BRONZE, Franklin, Wisconsin
i-am-a-ghost13 BRONZE, Franklin, Wisconsin
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

The sky explodes 

Our piano filled with flames 

Forever we sleep


Sparks and bullets fly

It was good to be alive

But the world must burn 


The author's comments:

This piece is inspired by the song "Holland, 1945" by Neutral Milk Hotel, a song about WW1 (loosely) and drawing ideas from the Diary of Anne Frank. 

The first "stanza" is this weird idea that some people have of WW1, that it was a loyal and true battle against true evil. The first couple of lines such as "Our piano filled with flames" and "Forever we sleep" give off a gentle, metaphorical feel. It's poetry. 

The second part is more violent, actually mentioning sparks and bullets instead of a "beautiful" image of a piano filled with flames. I was originally going to use "will" instead of "must," but changed my mind practically at the last minute because of the way that some people viewed this war. That it was "meant to happen" and "they're in a better place now" or that they somehow deserved what happened to them. Couple this with the political mindsets/leaders who seem to think that the only way to solve problems is conflict and violent interactions, killing civilians and people who just wanted to have a life, like Anne Frank. The leaders don't care if "it was good to be alive." 

"The world must burn" and we must burn with it. The song itself is devastating in the right context, and I definitely suggest listening to it. 


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