It gives me a chill, somewhat of a frightening shiver
To stand at the grave of a Nazi General and feel some sadness
If Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox”
didn’t have a hand in the Hitler assassination plot
If at least he knew about it and condoned it
Does that make him worthy of any pity
When we know Hitler forced his most successful and popular
General to drink poison or face a trial for treason
Does that make him worthy of any pity
And that Rommel agreed to do this given the guarantee
That Hitler would spare Rommel’s family
Does that make him worthy of any pity
Rommel laid the ground work and pushed Hitler’s war effort ahead
If not for Rommel’s battle expertise
Would Hitler have succeeded as much as he did
Even though Rommel argued for humane treatment of prisoners of war
And even though he said he didn’t want to have any part in genocide
That he wanted nothing to do with Hitler’s politics
Isn’t he equally culpable for assisting – and allowing – Hitler’s plans to move ahead
Does he deserve to be allowed any kind of pass on furthering what Hitler did?
It’s hard to say, but I do shiver at the site of his grave
Knowing how Hitler in paranoid rage murdered his best man in the end
The sorrow of his wife and children knowing why and how he had to die
Realizing they were spared because Hitler did make good on his word
Even with all of that going as plusses on Rommel’s side
Didn’t the largest cog in Hitler’s war machine get what he deserved
Lanning Lee 