BERLIN WALL (1961-1989)
Over and under and through the Wall they came,
parched with a thirst they couldn't quench.
Tunneling, flying, leaping, crawling, hidden
in car seats and carts, determined to wrench
themselves free from tyranny's stench.
Oppressed, tortured, imprisoned, shot—
still the thirsty would not could not be denied.
The spring of freedom beckoned, so close, so far;
yards, feet, nay inches away they died—
and friends and loved ones cried.
Some made it! a baby hidden in a bag in a cart;
desperate men who leapt on a moving train;
a hollow car seat, tunnels, boats,
a makeshift glider, balloon and plane;
putting an end to the thirst and pain.
And then one day, one wonderful day,
they hammered and shattered and tore down the Wall!
Thirsting, singing, shouting, laughing, hugging,
chunk by chunk they watched it fall—
and the terrible thirst was quenched for all.
About this poem
My wife and I have visited Checkpoint Charlie and the related museum, and we know the desperation of the people who were trying to escape from East Germany.
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Written on August 01, 1995
Submitted by ALCookwriter on March 10, 2024
- 49 sec read
- 47 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAXAA XBXBB XCXCC XDXDD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 865 |
Words | 162 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5 |
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"BERLIN WALL (1961-1989)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/184883/berlin-wall-(1961-1989)>.
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