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Berlin

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Published: 22nd September 2024 

Image: A poster we bought at The Hamburger Bahnhof Gallery Berlin  


 

this non conformist city breathes a calm but edgy air through gaps in the graffiti and the street art everywhere its face is sometimes brutal but its heart and soul seem not and it walks a sexy diverse walk that’s cold yet somehow hot (but I know I’m getting older when those fun thoughts in my head reject the swinging KitKatClub for KitKat bars instead) and all those wearing AirPods sipping hot drinks on the go pass tourists taking boat trips slowly going with the flow while the 'high tea' of a bratwurst served from food trucks on the street is eaten at tall tables en plein air without a seat and just like high end stores at home the windows dress up nice displaying bling that's priceless - as it’s shown without its price note too that no one jaywalks here by crossing roads at will not even during rush hour when the traffic’s standing still and when it comes to bridges here’s a fact that crossed my mind: there are more here than in Venice and in Amsterdam combined and by saving time by taking trams that move berlin about we spent time taking time in parks where locals take time out while the aiming and the shooting by the wall towards the west was just us aiming cell phones shooting selfies with the rest. but the death camp films and clothes we saw of the many that were killed brought tears that drowned a silence there for the blood that humans spilled and I cannot start to comprehend the minds of those who kill and just because I went there - and just because I stood there - and just because I wrote this doesn’t mean I ever will.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2024




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Date: 1/25/2025 7:21:00 PM
Your poem, Gary, catches much that is the hurly-burly of Berlin. Such a fine write that takes us from Kit-Kat humour to the Holocaust memorials. I've only been to Berlin for a short stop over of 3 days. However, the Berlin you write of is much with me. All the best. Brian
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Gary Radice
Date: 1/26/2025 3:35:00 AM
Thanks Brian. Yes, I wanted a humorous (High tea on tall tables etc) and somewhat whimsical approach at first to capture the every day hurly-burly so as to set up and amplify the total devastation and horror of the Holocaust at the end. I’ll be popping over to your page in the week..Thanks again. Cheers - Gary
Date: 1/8/2025 10:51:00 PM
Wow Gary, this was written so perfectly, I was able to see Berlin and feel the energy of the city without ever being there. I am glad they are not hiding the horrific past, and by all I have seen, those that live now are very unhappy how horrible things were. Oh, I remember when that wall was taken down, how wonderful it no longer divides the people, that was a tragic thing, that wall. Glad it's a place of art now. Your last lines were beautiful. I cannot comprehend those who kill either.
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Gary Radice
Date: 1/9/2025 2:34:00 AM
Thank you Bj. I wanted to capture the essence, atmosphere and sheer excitement without shying away from its past. Like yourself, I, too am happy that the city doesn’t hide its past. Cheers - Gary
Date: 1/5/2025 6:44:00 AM
Congratulations on your winner in Brian's contest. Creative and expressive lines. Thanks for sharing this winner with us. Sara K
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Gary Radice
Date: 1/5/2025 11:13:00 AM
Hi Sara. Thanks for reading it. Much appreciated. All the best. Cheers - Gary
Date: 1/1/2025 11:19:00 AM
Dear Gary, your amazing poem draws dual reactions. I adore your potent, appreciative and revealing verse that captures the essence of a vibrant city as well as your humane response to its dark past. I admire how Berlin keeps its history alive and in full view in the light of unflinching truth. Truth honors the horrific suffering of all the innocents needlessly lost. Burying a nation's dark history only serves to empower those who wish to repeat it. Warmest wishes for a happy new year my poet friend.. ~Susan
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Gary Radice
Date: 1/1/2025 1:45:00 PM
Happy New Year Susan to you and your family and thank you for your insightful, profound and lovely comments. I certainly wouldn't rate 2024 as a favourite year of mine but I would rate Berlin - a city we visited in September of '24 - as one of my favourite destinations. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/29/2024 6:09:00 PM
Gary, making this a fave. I also find it impossible to understand how these violent acts can happen. It seems so foreign to me. We should be living in a state of permanent peace, and hopefully we shall. It takes people to work for it. Smiles!
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/30/2024 2:02:00 AM
Thanks Duke. Steinbeck was right when he said: "All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal". Kudos to him. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/26/2024 12:00:00 PM
Hi Gary, Your poem is a treasure. Thanks for sharing your experience and feelings with us. Your description of the city shows promise and progress. The end of your poem shows the depth of your feelings. Good to see progress with remembrance of the past. Paves the way to better times for all.
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/26/2024 10:29:00 PM
Thank you Gail. One thing I found really difficult to grasp was seeing the remnants of the wall and reminding myself that it was built in the year I was born and dismantled not long before my 28th birthday. How the heck people managed to live with it for all those years is beyond me. Berlin, thankfully today, is an exciting, bustling, tourist friendly metropolitan city. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/25/2024 4:27:00 AM
Dear Gary, this is so heartfelt and so beautiful how youv written about berlin, ive been to Berlin too and i think its a very disciplined city and beautiful one too, also hamburg too is a lovely place. Your ending made me feel alot and i agree too that just because we been to certain places or seen certain places we can never really truly comprehend the depth of what is written in history. Hope i didnt think too deep there. Pleasure reading this, sending you light
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/25/2024 9:59:00 AM
Hi Inky No, you didn't think too deep there at all. I suspect many cities have very dark histories. Berlin doesn't hide its past and has many excellent and very well curated museums that don't flinch from telling it how it really once was. Thank you for your visit. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/24/2024 6:15:00 AM
Gary, this excellent, vividly descriptive piece is informative and so moving~~contrasting the peaceful scenes of the present with the horrors of the past. Janice
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/24/2024 6:41:00 AM
Thanks Janice. The past is so difficult to take in. We spent much of our 4 days away visiting galleries and museums. Great shopping too. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/22/2024 2:55:00 PM
Just seeing this, Gary. Really great piece of work here describing the modern scene, all of it juxtaposed against the horrors of the past. I never will, either. Best, John
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/23/2024 9:14:00 PM
Thanks John. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/18/2024 8:33:00 AM
Oh Gary, Another wonderful poem! I loved your description of Berlin, a city I've never visited, but I love your last few lines the best They touched my heart.
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/18/2024 12:33:00 PM
Thank you Ann. I don't think I have seen so much graffiti in any city anywhere than I have in Berlin..and yet..it didn't feel threatening..we viewed it as art. It was certainly art we saw on the remnants of the Berlin wall. I wanted my whimsical poem to end with a kick so I'm glad it touched your heart. Thanks again Ann. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/13/2024 12:48:00 PM
my son has visited 3 times he loves the galleries and museums and culture, I love the way you have written of the present and the past - the atrocities are something we should never forget. hugs Jan xx I love amsterdam for that very reason especially Anne frank's Museum which I have visited 3 times x
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/13/2024 1:31:00 PM
Hi Jan. Ann and I tend to take short city breaks nowadays rather than any full blown beach holiday and just love doing so. Amsterdam that you’ve mentioned is a wonderful city and we’re off to Prague in a few weeks. Your son has great taste. The galleries and the museums on the island in Berlin are superb. Cheers - Gary
Date: 11/9/2024 10:16:00 AM
I am of German descent, but have never been to visit the country. Your clever poem has taken me there and the journey was just delightful from beginning to end... An excellent piece of poetry, Gary :)
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/9/2024 11:37:00 AM
Thank you Kelly. Germany is a beautiful country and Berlin is such an exciting city. It helps that it's one of the cheapest European capitals to visit. We are planning to visit again. Cheers - Gary
Date: 10/11/2024 3:46:00 AM
This is a brilliant piece of work Gary, and a marvellous travelogue - I'm so glad I saw it, and only because of your POTD. Your last verse and last few lines are classic. Thanks for sharing your travels. Maria
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Gary Radice
Date: 10/11/2024 5:16:00 AM
Much appreciated Maria. We only spent 3 nights in Berlin recently but we saw enough that could write an anthology of poems. :) Cheers - Gary
Date: 10/8/2024 2:44:00 PM
Gary, this is an exceptional journey with a fine artist of thought and rhyme and meter - I must read and respect you more - you very much deserve it---I got lost in this composition!
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Gary Radice
Date: 10/8/2024 10:48:00 PM
High praise indeed Craig. Thank you. It's very much appreciated. I want to add one other verse somewhere in the mix that refers to a 1910 quote from German author Karl Scheffler. He described Berlin as “a city condemned forever to becoming and never to being”. Im not quite there yet with the verse but I'm working on it. That said though, maybe I can refer to the quote indirectly by just simply leaving things as they are? :) Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/28/2024 7:23:00 PM
Amazing poetry, Gary...wow, I really like your style....:)
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/29/2024 12:45:00 AM
Thanks Paige. I tend to write just what I see and remember. Sir Andrew Motion / English poet and novelist who was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009 recommends to "Honour the miraculousness of the ordinary" I liked observing some of the ordinary in the extraordinary city of Berlin. :) Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/28/2024 3:26:00 PM
A great, evocative, word picture you've painted. I would have to say that a little dark chocolate is enough excitement for me these days, too, and the holocaust - unfathomable.
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/29/2024 12:52:00 AM
Thanks David. Hey if you've never tried it before Berlin chocolate is lovely. I would recommend a visit to the Berlin coffee roastery located on Uhlandstraße for all bars of chocolate. Wonderful! Although that said, my local Tesco probably sells it too. :) Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/28/2024 9:22:00 AM
What a great image with play on words throughout, skillful write. I haven’t visited it. (In Sorrento right now instead :)
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/28/2024 9:38:00 AM
Thanks Margarita. We love Sorrento! Enjoy. :) Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/27/2024 7:38:00 AM
This poem of yours is written from the heart and I can sense a feeling of longing as you recall a mixture of memories. The end part is touching. (Well done for the metrical delivery.) a fav ~ Regards // paul
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/27/2024 12:59:00 PM
Thank you Paul. Yes, from the heart alright. We got home 2 weeks ago from Berlin so the images are still very vivid in my mind. Tbh I suspect they will remain so for a long time to come. Thanks again. Much appreciated. Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/26/2024 8:22:00 PM
'Heavy' and profound penning here, Gary. The puzzling contradictions in cities such as Berlin confound all sensitive sols... ~ Gershon
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/27/2024 1:01:00 AM
Indeed Gershon. Away from confronting its past Berlin offers up a great city break with its art scene, music, theatre and great food. It’s also one of the cheapest capital cities we have been to in comparison with the likes of London, Paris, Copenhagen and Vienna. Thanks for your comments. Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/26/2024 7:20:00 PM
It really is a difficult thing to understand Gary, perhaps we never will , great poem
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/27/2024 12:57:00 AM
Thank you! I have to applaud Berlin for not shying away from its past with its museums and memorials that are expertly curated. Luckily the flight is just short of two hours from where we live so another trip is on the cards. Thanks M R R. :) Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/25/2024 12:40:00 PM
I loved reading your "Berlin" write. What a great picture. I have never been but I feel I took the vacation with you both. My dad was there many years. Have a blessed/wonderful day writing away.............
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/25/2024 12:55:00 PM
Thank you Paula. I wanted a whimsical approach at first, to take readers for a walk through my words so as to set up the end. Berlin, for me is a city of contradictions but makes for a great city break. Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/25/2024 11:14:00 AM
Gary, you have so eloquently expressed the soul of this city with its beauty, its warts, its shame and its scars - the soul of this ancient, restless city. Last stanza brought me to tears. You always take me on a journey into the wisdom of your musings - like riding a streetcar through this scenic poem. Thank you for this delightfully poignant poem. Blessings to you! Cheers!
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/25/2024 12:28:00 PM
Sam, your words mean so much thank you. I cannot begin to tell you the effect the Memorial To The Murdered and the museum below had on both of us and indeed all who were watching, reading and wiping away tears. Berlin is a bustling, art filled exciting city with a dark past. Thanks again. Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/25/2024 7:18:00 AM
Ahh, very young, i watched “The World at War” over 20-part series & the colorized version repeats yearly here lately, which helps me imagine what you’ve written to the point of bring tears. Thank you for this profound poem!
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/25/2024 7:21:00 AM
and thank you Sally for reading and for your comments. It's all very much appreciated. Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/23/2024 9:21:00 PM
Your poem covers so much of Berlin. I can feel the day to day pace that drifts onward to the dark side of the city's past. It gives an uneasy feeling at the end. Has violence been erased? I liked the deep introspection of the poem.
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/24/2024 12:18:00 AM
Thank you Hilda. I intend to add one more verse to describe the actual beauty of the city that I think lacks for a love letter poem such as this at the moment. I'm glad you liked it. Cheers - Gary
Date: 9/22/2024 9:30:00 PM
I love how you progress so well in your poem from casual, tourist type observation to reminders of past stark realities of war and the devastation of the holocaust, Gary. Very powerful poetry!
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Gary Radice
Date: 9/22/2024 11:53:00 PM
Hi Laura. Thank you for your lovely comments. Yes, I deliberately set out to achieve exactly that with the whimsical approach at first - on one hand Berlin is just like any major european capital - and then hit home with what left its mark on us. The museums in Berlin are excellent and don’t shy away from history just as The Slave Trade Museum doesn’t shy away from its past here in Liverpool. Thanks again. Cheers - Gary
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