Along the Elbe

Along the Elbe

Unpublished work (c) 1990, Lisa Page Weil
All rights reserved.


Hamburg has cooled in September,
And rain and wind blow through the city
As the Germanies prepare to reunify on
October 3, 1990.

Hamburg is cool, but not cold, this autumn;
A season along the Elbe.
Every day for a few minutes I watch the trains arrive and depart.
My mail reaches me here,
Travels underneath the station.

I have been watching ships up and down the Elbe;
Passenger liners and freighters with tugs before and behind,
And sailboats, windjammers, and schooners for the Hafengeburtstag Jubilaeum.
The port turned 801 years old on the 11th yesterday.
And this weekend is the official celebration.
Next weekend, Hamburg hosts a new event,
The city will be filled with tourists,
Down to the Elbe.

I'm sitting in a cafeteria in a shopping arcade,
Drinking my second cup of coffee and waiting for the weather to clear,
I have only one more Sunday in Hamburg,
Then I'll be returning.
I'm waiting for a cool wind and watching ships.

The Elbe has been grey and turbulent on overcast days.
When a strong wind is blowing,
The taller sailing ships stay in port;
Or are dragged bare-masted down the river
Towards Cuxhaven and the North Sea.

Das Wetter bleibt schoen.  Fruehling ist gekommen.
Haben wir die Voegel in der Baeumen und kein mehr der Schnee.