Austria

Salzach River

Lights blur

Past each stoplight and bus stop

Over top of the rumbling midnight waters

And jump out

From each ancient block building

And the bridge of lovers

As the mountain watches

And the castle too

Two Ways

One o'clock hits and twelve bells ring

On towers popping up like moles

All across the city

Reaching up for the clouds

In the old way- majestic and measured

And yet this ancient beauty

Is fronted by a fresh chemical scent

The young artists' signature

Even a small, drive-by town can force you to stop and appreciate
the rare significance of our Earth

And long after our gas stations are gone, the mountains will remain

The mountains will remember the same morning cool that blows through you now

And long after our roads are gone, the forest's trees will remain

The trees will remember that same freshness in the air which now you breathe deeply in

And long after we are gone, the purple light of the dawn still will envelop the valley under the nose of each morning

The sun will come and thank us for our time.

Ballad of the Five Castle Visitors

First came a mason, famous for his town

His team's final project would be their largest yet

A masterful fortress with plenty more rooms than would be used

Designed for prominence, built for protection

II.

Then along came the man who'd commissioned this bold piece

With cape, crown, and scepter

In it he sat, and threw gold coins at all those who entered

A method that won this King many friends

III.

And yet made him many enemies as well

And soon would lead the King to be cut from his throne

By a knight of rival faction

And such meandering turmoil would continue to plague the castle for many years

IV.

Until the protection of the stone walls lost its meaning

And no man cared to sit upon the golden throne

Outbid by endeavors of higher value, the turmoil vanished

And the fourth visitor came only on the whimsy of free airline tickets

Today I witnessed a metamorphasis

I became the fifth

No hammer, no crown, and no sword

Only a camera to expose this very story

Photo: Salzburg at Night Poem: Thoughts to Ponder as the World Sleeps

Tomorrow is nothing but a prayer

And today a melodramatic science experiment

But yesterday speaks

"History is coming"

(Jesus) Christ

Coral Skies

Seit 1429

the oldest bakery in Salzburg

the statues, gardens, and castle of Salzburg