Ruine Der Frauenkirche Dresden

Here is a poem that I wrote in 1992 after a trip to Germany during which I stumbled upon a statute of Martin Luther at the ruined Frauenkirche in Dresden in the middle of the night:

Ruine Der Frauenkirche Dresden

Meandering from a bridge over the haunting Elbe,
through the shrouded mist enveloping foreigners,
I was brought to stop and see a judgment of the God
for whom Martin Luther still stands.
No spotlight illuminates this bittersweet memorial --
causing many barren souls to stumble their own way home.
The war is no reminder to them whose guilt is past.
A lamp shined here centuries ago, but of the mass
people are in darkness, which is come upon them
with vengeance. This land of spires, this testimony
to common grace, which I too carry in my heart and more,
is visited, but in the Reichstaag is sanctuary sought;
notwithstanding, the mighty fortress is become
a requiem for protestants.