FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

SUMMER WIND (Satis Shroff) It’s a lovely morning, the blackbirds are awake and singing. Towards St. Peter and Stegen the sun has arisen in all its golden and scarlet splendor. It’s six o’ clock in the morning on my balcony. A wind blows from Maier’s hill and the rows of pine trees begin to sway. The blackbirds, finches and sparrows begin chirping and twittering in stuccato rhythm. My neighbour’s weeping willow tree on the hill begins a dance of its own, with its long flaying green branches and twigs. The wind on the pines creates a steady wave-like howling din which increases in intensity. It begins to pitter and patter, as the rain is unleashed gradually by the grey rain clouds above. Out in the blue mountainous horizon of the Schwarzwald, the sky still has a yellow glow but in Kappel, a storm seems to be building up. I sit on the chair in the balcony and drink my cuppa Earl Grey tea pepped up with garam masala, and register the rainy phenomenon. Mrs. Loy’s blue lavender,

  VISITING MOZART: IMPRESSIONS FROM VIENNA (Satis Shroff) In the EC train from Munich to Vienna you get pampered by a brunette stewardess in a tight stretch skirt. She seems to have a Ukranian accent, and you’re served water, newspapers, mags and snacks. A delight in comparison to the German stressed stewardess. Austrians are good at service management. The train is speeding at 140kmph past meadows and forested areas. A big lake to the right, mixed deciduous forests, past maize fields. The sky is blue with scattered fluffy clouds, detached Austrian houses with dark brown, wooden balconies, decorated with geraniums on the windows and house fronts. A saw mill with piles of planks near a forest. Another lake to the right with sailing boats and the vast sky above.  There’s no wifi connection between Munich and Salzburg. The Austrian telecommunication takes over from Salzburg. This is because there’s no agreement between German and Austrian railways in this regard. The A

  A WALTZ WITH YOU (Satis Shroff) Ah, the sound of Vienna begins. I execute a perfect circular waltz, With you in a gown And I in tails, After the pre-ball sekt.   It’s amazing how even teenagers Go voluntarily to learn How to waltz, And how to kiss a lady’s hands, Impeccably.   I learned it at socials Organised by the nuns of St. Helen’s And the Christian Brothers of Ireland. When the ‘ladies choice’ was announced By the Master of Ceremonies, You could feel the adrelanin Surging in your young blood.   It helps to develop your self-confidence, In a society where balls are a way of life.   But a waltz in Vienna, Is a legacy of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph. Strauss and Mozart rule the dancing floors. In palaces, concert halls, posh hotels, The 19 th century Sofiensaal.   You dance in your polished best, For the Viennese or your society. The art of formal greeting, Bowing, hand-kis