OLD WORLD CHARM
Cologne Germany
Takes me back in time
Austrian Alps
Live on channel 3Sat
Ratschings
Tirol
Ski Resorts abound
Postcards on your TV
Breathtaking
So beautiful to behold
Truly God’s ottoman
Kane
A fine teenage Turk
Excellent mastery of English
His warm smile
Made me feel right at home
We spoke of American football
His passion
Soccer
Not his cup of brew
“Roll Tide” he tells me
Loyalty
German style
Beautiful small Capella
Quaint chapel
In the heart of Rochus
Penners
(Homeless folks)
Panhandle behind God’s tiny house
Destitution
Lives in every town
The subway
U-Bahn
So much safer than I imagined
I greet a gruff Babushka
Grumbling Deutch response
I see past her rough exterior
A warm heart glows within
The bicycles
Thousands of them
Every make and model
Preferred mode of transportation
Delightful Russian grocery
Fresh produce and fruit
Tempts each passerby
Rich smell of schnitzel
Pastries baking in brick ovens
Sweet decadent chocolates
Robust sausages
My senses
On overload
As I walk the streets enchanted
Althoff’s (Inn) on every corner
Filled with burley men
Thick
Ox strong
Quiet noble fortitude
Filled with national exuberance
Offers 200 grams of Kolsch
Proud local beer
That flows like water
Surprisingly sober
A profound lack of public intoxication
In such a pickled state
Orderly existence
I applaud the German spirit
Danke Shein
For such warm hospitality
© Bill Grimes Jr. 2005
