War has been the norm, and peace the exception.
Susan Sontag. 1

Cologne railway station massive steel structure bridges the Rhine
spire of Cathedral penetrates thick clouds the ICE builds up speed
flashes of sunlight dart through wooded forests beam on cultivated fields
here & there a tractor weaves scattered livestock glean lush grasses
fleeting sights of doll house estates decorated with laced attic windows
townships acquiescent to church steeples
workers huts encircled by vegetable plots border the rail track
atop hills a filigree of sculptured leafless trees decked with mistletoe floss
stand in rows of military precision unsettle our tranquillity
flashbacks of past images
the shrill of the guards whistle stacking of humanity in cattle wagons
the smoke stacks billowing beside the timber yards
we alight at Berlin railway station with trepidation

1. Regarding the Pain of Others, Penguin Books, Great Britain 2004, p66

*This poem published in Νο 58 2012 Antipodes, yearly magazine of Greek-Australian Cultural league of Melbourne, p. 51.

**Loula Rodopoulos was born in Australia of Greek heritage in 1944. She published poetry in anthologies and also wrote short stories. Rodopoulos became Associate Professor in Social Work at Deakin University and served also as a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. She died in early 2013.