Poem inspired by the Caserne Niel
I could find some peace here
From the city’s roar
Beneath rusting girders open to the sky
Where kites and swallows soar.
Lizards bask upon the tumbled stones
And dart among the sapling pioneers.
Root and stalk of wild plants ramp
And the sharp sun sears.
I do not seek a sheltered nest
Beneath these echoing beams
Among dusty memories
Of a thousand soldiers’ dreams,
Where no one’s left to answer
And no one to respond
My thoughts run past the ruined halls
To the untamed woods beyond.
Viv Drewa - The Owl Lady 