The Angel Of Death Drowns In Brazil #poetry #history

In 1979, Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi doctor and “Angel of Death” drowned in Brazil after having a stroke. He had been living under an assumed identity for decades as the world’s Nazi-hunters tried to close in on him. He spent his final years in difficulty, and had never renounced fascism.

In “Instructions For A Deteriorating Life Vest”, poet Alex Sheremet (who reads the poem) attempts to use the drowning of Josef Mengele as a controlling image in unconventional ways. Although the poem is not explicitly about history nor politics, it subtly taps both to make a case for the value of abstract pursuits, such as poetry and art, against the backdrop of wasteful conduct, which Josef Mengele personifies. In this way, there can be a renewed connection between ethics and artistic creation, even if we reject the clunkier and less nuanced connections between both.

A note on the ario poetic form: Bruce Ario (1955 – 2022) was a Minneapolis poet who created the “ario” poetic form, a 10-line poem with 3 stanzas of 3 lines each, concluding with a final line that inverts that which preceded it. For more information, check out our video, ArtiFact #35: The Life & Times Of Bruce Ario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycAD9s57Re8

If you found this video useful, support us on our Patreon page and get patron-only content: https://www.patreon.com/automachination

Subscribe to the ArtiFact podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3xw2M4D
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3wLpqEV
Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3dSQXxJ
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/2SVJIxB
Podbean: https://bit.ly/3yzLuUo
iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3AK942L

Read more from the automachination universe: https://automachination.com

Read Alex Sheremet’s (archived) essays: https://alexsheremet.com

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/automachination

Background footage: The Manhunt For The Angel Of Death – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2UnkEIg_3k

Text of poem:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A DETERIORATING LIFE VEST

I've lost count of ways to lose it all
Though hope remains
The biggest culprit.

I had hoped to never have to move again
From the bed with the big blonde
Pencil picking sore spots like Mengele

Rocked open on a swim.
Hope? One can only pack the lungs with hope
A poem floats better than a body

As a poem flows better than a poem.

Tags: #shorts #poem #war