Berlin

Soon, now, my darling, we shall meet
In the reunified city
Where East meets West
And Old meets New
A city that makes everything
A thing of beauty
So burdened with history and so free

We shall make this land
Our home for a day or two
Set out on a scavenger hunt
To find the remnants
Of all, that once was
And will never be again

But we will dance in the colonnades
And sing in the boulevards
And laugh in the bars
While the monuments
Testament to a chartered past
Bear witness to our love

The pigeons themselves
Squatters, unofficial residents
Of the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate
Will testify to the miracle of our reunion

The gold stones themselves
Will rise up from the earth
To rejoice in our delight

The books of the Opernplatz
Their pages will flap felicitously
To see us so much alive

Victory herself will smile at us
And the needle at Alex will broadcast
Our joy into every living room

We will sail through the streets on a mighty ship
Eight sails and fifty canons strong
Toppling the remains of an imaginary wall
Liberating millions in our wake

Parading our love through the grass
Hanging ribbons and streamers from branches and lampposts
Swinging open the iron gates of sprawling cemeteries
To raise the dead from the sleep of centuries

Then at night in our bed
We will draft a new constitution
Our lips will seal the pact
Your arms will vouchsafe for security
And we will wake to reap the fruits
Of our revolution