Berlin und so weiter

This city represents something undefined
Maybe just out of reach
A moment feeling like i'm standing on the edge of the world
On the little bridge over the tracks by Warschauerstrasse U Bahn station,
A spectator to a broken bottle apocalypse 

Kicking in round three in the morning most weekends. 

Struggling to understand why mascara is de rigeur for the young women and ladies of this nation 

Perhaps i should do some interviews.
Musing at Katarina from my hostel room who says only Bavarians know real beer
Today I have woken still weary 

Gratefully not drunken
Last night was tempted to follow the beautiful young European things 

As they headed for the clubs round 2 or 3 in the morning
Bed seemed more attractive in a different way...
This morning wandered over the Oberbaumbrucke
Across the Spree to arrive at Chert gallery on Skalitzer Strasse near Schlessisches Tor
Standing before images of large scale shooting gallery target practice portraits from the United States hanging in lines from the gallery ceiling.
This is raw and confronting at this time of morning

Brutal connotations

Now I miss Berlin

Back on the other side of the world

Reminiscing

The smell of piss in the corners

Near misses time and time again

As bicycles fly by

Carelessly stepping over the nominated pavement lanes to semi catastrophe

Street scavengers pour the dregs of empty beer bottles out by our feet

As we queue for nightclub entrances

Cunningly concealed behind veneers of graffiti smeared concrete walls

And nondescript doors

A few monstrous derelict powerstations 

Industrial audio bunkers

Solid towers of speakers nestled deep within

Laced with red, blue and multichromatic beams of light

Little legions of young techno heads and handfuls of old electro stalwarts

Writhing and bounding to solid thumping beats

Hovering through frequency modulation

Pitch and tempo shifts

Fading into a smoky haze

Different corners of this town host surreal monuments in parks

Odd aesthetic anomalies

Legacies of the east and west divide

Fragments of broken history

Yellow shunting U Bahn trains with odd wallpaper style window decorations

A lively assortment of mobile musical buskers and panhandlers onboard

Bullet trains, regional connections, S Bahns, Intercity lines

Crisscrossing the multi layers of the silvery hi tech Berlin Hauptbahnhof

Polite well behaved canine passengers sit beside their masters on the high speed ICE trains

Central Berlin

Flat

Highrise steel and glass veneers

Copious ongoing constructions in the works

Or seemingly in limbo

A landscape dotted with crane towers

And walls of scaffolding

Draped in plastic sheets

Eulogy for Nan

Dear Nan,

We will miss you.

It is sad to think that you are no longer with us but I have so many good memories of times I spent with you.

On holidays as a child I would visit you and Pop in North Beach.

You were always welcoming, warm and affectionate, with lots of hugs and treats, always making me feel at home. I would always feel comfortable and safe spending time with you .

I remember many trips down to the beach with you and lots of the other cousins, swimming at Mettams Pool, playing in the sand and making sand castles.

Another time in my early teens you sat on the beach with mum anxiously watching me getting thrown around in the waves when I was learning to surf.

As a kid you took me on lots of special outings to Karrinyup and on the bus into the city.

You would take me to the movies and the shops, quite often with little presents here and there, occasionally into the old department stores for a haircut or to see father christmas.

Once staying with you on holiday I woke up one morning and could barely move.

You didn't fret or worry. You simply picked me up and carried me into the lounge room, wrapped me in a blanket and lay me down in front of the morning cartoons on television, then came back with a warm mug of milo and biscuits. As the day went by I began to move again - it turned out to be just a 24 hour virus - but a moment like that reminds me of how you cared for all of us so much.

You were always pleased when any of us came to visit, meeting us at the door with hugs and kisses on the cheek. The mantel pieces and cabinets in Sholl Ave and your unit in Trigg always had photos of the cousins and family gatherings proudly on display. Sometimes you would refer to Malcolm and Kevin as my boy or my baby and joke that they were looking a bit skinny and you needed to get them to visit so you could fatten them up !

There are so many other special moments I remember but what comes to mind now is your positive and loving spirit.

You were so giving and caring.

You had a heart of gold.

My times with you will always be remembered as a very special part of my life.

Rest in peace dear Nan.