• About
  • Our Team
  • Advertise
  • Legal
  • Contact Us
Write for Us
Shout Out UK
  • Politics
    • All
    • Brexit 2016
    • Elections
    • GE2017
    • Law
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Three million drug addicts in the Philippines: The real Narcos Netflix didn’t cover

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Legal aid declines by 84% leaving the most vulnerable without justice

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Why the Commonwealth matters more than ever

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Democracy Dashboard: The missing piece British politics desperately needs

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Campaigning for equal rights in ALL Commonwealth countries

    Trending Tags

    • Young People
    • Wikileaks
    • Women
    • Welfare
    • Theresa May
  • World News
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • N. America
    • S. America
    • United Kingdom
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Big Tech Has Driven Unprecedented Innovation – But Privacy Matters

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Maternity Leave: What really explains the gender pay gap

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Why Do Financially Savvy People Avoid Going It Alone?

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Three million drug addicts in the Philippines: The real Narcos Netflix didn’t cover

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Smart Ways To Grow Your Income Rapidly

    Trending Tags

    • West
    • USA
    • Syria
    • US presidential election
    • Terrorism
  • Money
    • All
    • Business
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Maternity Leave: What really explains the gender pay gap

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Why Do Financially Savvy People Avoid Going It Alone?

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Smart Ways To Grow Your Income Rapidly

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Home Time: 4 Ways To Make Life Easier When You Get Home From Work

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Your Team Productivity Starts In The Workplace

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    The Formula For Business Success: Professionalism+Productivity=Profitability

    Trending Tags

    • Advice
    • University
    • Unemployment
    • Technology
  • Culture, Travel and Sport
    • All
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Media
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    How Doing Yoga Every Day Can Help Ease Your Body Aches

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Making Time For Inner Quiet Is Important

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    We’re Ready For Summer! But Are Our Eyes Ready For The Sun?

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Comedians Roisin and Chiara on International Women’s Day

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    The Button Poets: Changing the world one verse at a time

    Trending Tags

    • Motorsport
    • Cars
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Music
  • Reviews
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Upstart Crow, Upstart No: Not a comedy but an outdated tragedy

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Philosophers’ Club: Irrational Man – Freedom in the Extreme

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Book Club: Woman at Point Zero

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Philosophers’ Club: The Revenant – Grisly but Unique

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Video Game Review: WWE 2K16

  • Films
    • Homelessness
    • Anonymous
    • Youth Leaders
    • Mental Health
    • One in a Million
  • Political Literacy
    • Offline Course
    • Online Course
    • Election Pack
  • Get Involved
    • Write for us
    • Opportunities
    • Brexit Youth Check
    • Events
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
    • All
    • Brexit 2016
    • Elections
    • GE2017
    • Law
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Three million drug addicts in the Philippines: The real Narcos Netflix didn’t cover

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Legal aid declines by 84% leaving the most vulnerable without justice

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Why the Commonwealth matters more than ever

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Democracy Dashboard: The missing piece British politics desperately needs

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Campaigning for equal rights in ALL Commonwealth countries

    Trending Tags

    • Young People
    • Wikileaks
    • Women
    • Welfare
    • Theresa May
  • World News
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • N. America
    • S. America
    • United Kingdom
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Big Tech Has Driven Unprecedented Innovation – But Privacy Matters

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Maternity Leave: What really explains the gender pay gap

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Why Do Financially Savvy People Avoid Going It Alone?

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Three million drug addicts in the Philippines: The real Narcos Netflix didn’t cover

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Smart Ways To Grow Your Income Rapidly

    Trending Tags

    • West
    • USA
    • Syria
    • US presidential election
    • Terrorism
  • Money
    • All
    • Business
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Maternity Leave: What really explains the gender pay gap

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Why Do Financially Savvy People Avoid Going It Alone?

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Smart Ways To Grow Your Income Rapidly

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Home Time: 4 Ways To Make Life Easier When You Get Home From Work

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Your Team Productivity Starts In The Workplace

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    The Formula For Business Success: Professionalism+Productivity=Profitability

    Trending Tags

    • Advice
    • University
    • Unemployment
    • Technology
  • Culture, Travel and Sport
    • All
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Media
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    How Doing Yoga Every Day Can Help Ease Your Body Aches

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Making Time For Inner Quiet Is Important

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    We’re Ready For Summer! But Are Our Eyes Ready For The Sun?

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Comedians Roisin and Chiara on International Women’s Day

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    The Button Poets: Changing the world one verse at a time

    Trending Tags

    • Motorsport
    • Cars
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Music
  • Reviews
    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Upstart Crow, Upstart No: Not a comedy but an outdated tragedy

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Philosophers’ Club: Irrational Man – Freedom in the Extreme

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Book Club: Woman at Point Zero

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Philosophers’ Club: The Revenant – Grisly but Unique

    'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

    Video Game Review: WWE 2K16

  • Films
    • Homelessness
    • Anonymous
    • Youth Leaders
    • Mental Health
    • One in a Million
  • Political Literacy
    • Offline Course
    • Online Course
    • Election Pack
  • Get Involved
    • Write for us
    • Opportunities
    • Brexit Youth Check
    • Events
No Result
View All Result
Shout Out UK
No Result
View All Result
Home Culture, Travel and Sport

‘A Story About Dying’ by John Guzlowski

Ali Saul by Ali Saul
26/07/2014
17
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
3
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A Story about Dying

My father’s death was a hard one.

He had emphysema and liver cancer, and in the hospital they gave him morphine to ease the pain, but the morphine did the opposite.  It brought back memories of his four years as a slave laborer in the Buchenwald concentration camp.

My mother and I sat in the hospital room with him and tried to comfort him, but he thought we were German guards come to take him to the ovens.  Dying, he tried to crawl out of his bed, pleading all the while for us to spare him.  Finally, the nurses had to strap him down and gave him more morphine.

My mother sat next to him all the time — holding his hand, whispering “Janek, Janek,” the name his mother called him, but he still struggled, wept, tried to loosen the straps around his hands and feet.

In the corridor, there was some noise, and my mother looked up.  Four nurses stood there talking.  One of them smiled and then laughed, and the others started laughing too.

My mother looked at me, nodded slowly, and said, “Half of us are going to the grave, and the other half are going to a wedding.”

 

 

About the author:

John Guzlowski’s writing appears in Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, The Ontario Review, Chattahoochee Review, Atticus Review, Modern Fiction Studies and other journals both here and abroad.  Guzlowski’s poems about his parents’ experiences in Nazi concentration camps appear in his books Lightning and Ashes, Third Winter of War: Buchenwald, and Language of Mules.  His novel Road of Bones about two German lovers separated by war is forthcoming from Cervena Barva Press.  Writing of Mr. Guzlowski’s poetry, Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz said, “He has an astonishing ability for grasping reality.”

 

More from John Guzloski:

Lightning and Ashes – Poet John Guzlowski – Readings by Guzlowski

http://lightning-and-ashes.blogspot.com/ – Guzloski’s blog about his parents.

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2007/12/28 – Garrison Keillor reading ‘What My Father Believed’

Tags: anonymitycreatives
ShareTweet3Share
Previous Post

'The Choice' by Eric Sentell

Next Post

Colombia: Out but not down

Ali Saul

Ali Saul

Ali is a Law undergraduate at the University of Portsmouth with an especial interest in Constitutional Law. He is a keen musician playing mandolin, guitar, drums and keyboards. He also enjoys writing music and poetry.

Related Posts

'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
Environment

Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

26/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
Culture, Travel and Sport

How Doing Yoga Every Day Can Help Ease Your Body Aches

20/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
Health

Making Time For Inner Quiet Is Important

20/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
Health

We’re Ready For Summer! But Are Our Eyes Ready For The Sun?

19/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
Culture, Travel and Sport

Comedians Roisin and Chiara on International Women’s Day

19/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski
Culture, Travel and Sport

The Button Poets: Changing the world one verse at a time

18/04/2018
Next Post
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

'Youth Centre SOS' Part 3, by Mary Lou Fletcher

Stay Connected

  • 13.7k Fans
  • 20.4k Followers
  • 105 Followers
  • 1.3k Subscribers
  • 3k Subscribers

Support Us

Support our work by becoming a Patron today!
Become a Patron!

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

This Country is my country: Why is rural working-class Britain overlooked in the entertainment industry?

27/03/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Votes for 16s could rescue the Conservative Party

28/03/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Electoral fraud punishable by little more than a parking fine?

03/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

‘Missing The Mark’: The Slim Shady of Advertising

09/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

In my borough council, women earn almost 25% less than men

1
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Cold War II: Will McCarthyism repeat itself or will we heed the past?

1
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Democracy Dashboard: The missing piece British politics desperately needs

1
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Votes for 16s could rescue the Conservative Party

1
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

26/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Big Tech Has Driven Unprecedented Innovation – But Privacy Matters

26/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Maternity Leave: What really explains the gender pay gap

25/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Why Do Financially Savvy People Avoid Going It Alone?

25/04/2018

Recent News

'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Electric cars not enough as UK struggles in the renewable energy race

26/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Big Tech Has Driven Unprecedented Innovation – But Privacy Matters

26/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Maternity Leave: What really explains the gender pay gap

25/04/2018
'A Story About Dying' by John Guzlowski

Why Do Financially Savvy People Avoid Going It Alone?

25/04/2018
Load More
Shout Out UK

We are a multi-award winning independent youth news platform that provides young people with the tools necessary to engage in politics and a platform to shout out and be heard.

  • Advertising on Shout Out UK
  • Political Literacy Course
  • Editorial Guide
  • Legal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • About
  • Webmail
  • Our Team
  • Advertise
  • Legal
  • Contact Us

© 2018 ShoutOutUK LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
    • Brexit 2016
    • Elections
    • GE2017
    • Law
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • N. America
    • S. America
    • United Kingdom
  • Money
  • Culture, Travel and Sport
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Media
  • Reviews
  • Films
    • Homelessness
    • Anonymous
    • Youth Leaders
    • Mental Health
    • One in a Million
  • Political Literacy
    • Offline Course
    • Online Course
    • Election Pack
  • Get Involved
    • Write for us
    • Opportunities
    • Brexit Youth Check
    • Events

ShoutOutUK LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In