Aegidienkirche, Hannover: A Poem

On my way back from Bremen, I had a one-hour layover in Hannover. I left the train station and explored downtown a bit. I was really struck by the Aegidienkirche, a ruin preserved from the damage of World War II.

As you can see, a vine climbs one end of the roofless chapel. I just had to write a poem to keep the memory of this peaceful place. -- JD

Two, gnarled vines
Twist and wind their aimless way
Up church walls. Their green
Leaves a canvas where the Wind,
Constant as cloudforms,
Pains expressionist patterns.

Hannover. War raged--
1944. The bombs
Erased this chapel:
Aegidienkirche, windows
Rafters, roof, and doors
Ablaze, blown out. Utter ruins.

1945.
Spring. Seeds carried by the winds
Sink roots in rubble.
Water, light, they rise along
The western wall, their spreading
Branches, leaves carpet
The walls: a nodding, dancing
chorus of Amens.

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