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Berlin, City of My Dreams

Once I had a love
Of a vanished city,
Once I had a love
Of Berlin in the Thirties,
Once I had a love
Of the Berlin Stories
I read about Norris,
And I read about Sally,
Oh, city of my dreams,
Berlin in the Thirties,
A place I longed to be…

City of Dix,
And city of Beckmann,
City of the portrait
Of Sylvia von Harden,
City of Grosz
And city of Berber,
City of Brecht,
And city of Droste,
Oh, city of extremes,
Berlin in the Twenties,
A wondrous place to be…

Once I had a love
Of a vanished city,
Once I had a love
Of the Weimar Cabaret
Once I had a love
Of Berlin in the Thirties
I read about it all
In Isherwood’s stories,
Oh, city of my dreams,
Berlin in the Thirties,
A perilous place to be…

Style / type: 
Free verse
Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Last few words: 
'Berlin, City of my Dreams' was written in 2020, having been very loosely based on a song written when I was about 19, when Berlin was indeed the city of my dreams.
Editing stage: 
Content level: 
Not Explicit Content

Comments

...but of course, as well as the glorious decadence, there was also a dark side to Berlin in the 30s. Especially after 1933.
.

xxx
Edna
Poet(ess) to the Stars

There certainly was, after January 1933 of course, but also before, with high levels of political violence, and violent crime in general.

author comment

..how well you know Berlin. I used to go there regularly from about 1985 to 1995.
.

xxx
Edna
Poet(ess) to the Stars

When I was in my late teens, i fell in love with a romantic ideal of the decadent Berlin of the '20s and '30s, it was total obsession for a time, but I have never been, Hamburg yes, I was there for several days during my time as a seaman in the Royal Naval Reserve decades ago now, it was an eye opener, and possibly in some ways close to what Berlin might have been. But no I have never been, it exists only in my mind according to what I have read, listened to and so on.

author comment

...was a very weird place. Crossing to the East was like stepping backwards in time to 1945!

Re Hamburg - not been there for 15 years or so. The Reeperbahn was quite an eye-opener. I once took a party of business colleagues to a sexclub there and to our amazement one of our number was dragged on stage and he got a little oral treat.
.

xxx
Edna
Poet(ess) to the Stars

That is how I remember Hamburg in the 70s, St. Pauli, the Reeperbahn, we were sailors let loose for 2 or 3 days (and nights), you can imagine, a year later I was in Amsterdam, and Copenhagen, but they were nothing like Hamburg to me.

author comment

...dear Teddy, and I'm so pleased you like this, and yes, I did enjoy a love affair with old Berlin

author comment

I'm truly thrilled you like it, I spent some time on it, thinking of the right names, and especially 'wondrous' and 'perilous' I thought long and hard about them, and then thought, yes they are good. Carl.

author comment
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