M.P. Powers

in würzburg                     

church bells 
followed us everywhere
metallic and grumbling they rang 
out of seagreen 
clouds gliding along 
the pennant strings from the festung 
marienberg round 
the japanese gardens to the hauptfriedhof
where I kissed you 
on the burial plot of the brother 
of the officer who tried to assassinate 
hitler 

poor guy we mourned him and tried 
to feel something real 
in his memory but it was only the rain 
we felt so we went to a liquor store
and picked up a bocksbeutel
bottle of silvaner 
and brought it to the altemain 
brücke 

floating in a sea of umbrellas and voices 
and wine
glasses the blue hydrangea 
twilight settling
on the statue of saint killian and the hills 
of vineyards
a mirage of peacocks 
and the church bells tolling
and the church bells tolling

we could feel them 
under our feet
touching our ears our lips our hearts 
trailing
us back to our hotel 
where I got you
in bed and kissed you 
and touched you and I died 
a little in your eyes that were leaping 
blue minnows 
as the church bells hammered
on the windows
trying to get in
but they couldn’t because
the windows were closed.