FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKknTXlwv4 SIRTAKI AND GREEK WINE By Satis Shroff Georgos is a Greek and and Hans is a German. They’re old student friends sitting at their Stammtisch in a tavern in Freiburg-Kappel. The two have ordered Weizenbeer and say: ‘Prost!’ and take big gulps. ‘So what’s up in Europe?’ asks Hans. Georgos: ‘A lot.’ Hans: ‘Grexit?’ Georgos: ‘Looks like it’s inevitable.’ Hans: ‘Can Athens be saved?’ Georgos: ‘Not before Alexis Zorbas, I mean Tschipras, comes up with concrete reforms. Hans: ‘But Tschipras did come smiling with his baby-face and new savings plans and reform suggestions lately. Georgos: ‘Wolfgang Schäuble(CDU) dubbed it as an ‘extraordinary,  difficult summit debate. The European governments have lost confidence in Greece’s latest leftist government ever since they took charge in January. The hope that was evident in the past months has disappeared.’ Hans: ‘What does Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Chief of the Euro-group sa...

Liedernachmittag in the Afternoon (Satis Shroff) Went to a Liedernachmittag under the Tree of Wisdom in Kappel to sing with the mixed choir on July 12, 2015. It was a lovely day with a lot of friendly, fluffy clouds and the people were amiable. The dark-green pine trees behind us looked like sentinels. The choir sang? International and German dialect  songs and it was fun: tum balalaika, Tiritomba, Pod kopinom, Mit Leb bin ich umfangen, Dat du min Leevsten büs, Du fragsch mi, wär i bi. What we all sang? Heut kommt der Hans zu mir, Fein sein, beieinander bleiben, Vem kan segla, Only You, Jan dan duja and John Hilton’s ‘Follow me.’ There were snacks, drinks and nice chats. It’s always a delight to sing with other people. I met a couple who’d gone to Nepal to do trekking earlier three times. And there was a young lady from California staying with a German family, Lisa Blaas to be precise, and gathering valuable foreign experiences with languages and cultu...

THE MIRACLE OF GREECE (Satis Shroff) The Greeks are getting euros To stay in line to get money From the bankcomat. A measly 60 euros a day, For a whole family. In the streets of Greece a refusal To pay the Odius Debt makes the rounds. The debt was imposed on Athens, Not to help its people but to run banks. A breakfast for 5 euros: A toast bread costs 1,45 euros, Feta cheese for 3,49 euros, A liter juice for 1,18 euros. A coffee for 2,50 euros. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. A taxi in Athens? 68 cents per kilometer. Petrol costs 1,57 euros per liter. If Athens bails out, Would it be the disintegration of Europe? A referendum is professed to throw light: If it's a no, Tsipras and Varofakis want to resign. Ah, it's time for lunch: Another 7 euros. A pound of paste for 86 cents, A tomato sauce to go with it 99 cents. Eating at home for 3 euros, Eating out costs al...

THE TOWER RAVENS (Satis Shroff) (Subtitle: Evermore, for the Queen) The guard in the red jacket Stood at attention with his rifle, Watching the ravens on the lawn Of the Tower of London. The ravens were loyal to the Windsors, Like the brave, sturdy Gurkhas. The swarthy ravens would never Abandon the tower, So a legend goes. For if they did It would mean The end of the Kingdom. Charles II said in the 17th century: It's better to make sure, Thereby gave six black feathered friends Boarding and lodging. The raven-mater looks after them, Prunes their feathers regularly, So that they don't fly too far. In 2006 there was fear of bird-plague, So the ravens were obliged to caw in prison, As a measure of protection. Two years later came the financial crisis, And many Brits saw danger ahead For the beloved Kingdom. The six raven males Gwyllum, Thor, Baldrick, And the ladies Hugine, Munin and Branwen Were ...

Satis Shroff's ZEITGEIST LITERATURE : Zeitgeistlyrik: WELCOME HOME & Other Poems (Satis ... : WELCOME HOME (Satis Shroff) 'Welcome Home' wrote the London Evening Standard, As the SS Empire Windruch docked At T...

WELCOME HOME (Satis Shroff) 'Welcome Home' wrote the London Evening Standard, As the SS Empire Windruch docked At Tilburg in 1948. On board were Jamaican veterans From the Second World War, Who'd fought alongside British Tommies. The headline was never shown again, Britain's door was soon slammed. The Brits tried to forget their history. The post-war labour shortage had seduced them, To their colonial countries. The first generation didn't have A sense of belonging, To the British mainstream. The second generation had an ease of presence, They married British girls, Played soccer at school and English clubs. Black or coloured and British-feeling, Despite the subtle cuts of the meanest kind. The message dawned in them, In the place they were not welcome. Strange that some spoke Of British heritage for all. An elderly Brit veteran, Who'd been and seen all, Mumbled softly: 'Time will h...

Zeitgeistlyrik: O Heimat (Satis Shroff) O HEIMAT (Satis Shroff) O Heimat, Surrounded by parents, Enveloped by brothers and sisters. Blue mountains, Home of the eternal snows, Abode of the Gods, Of the Hindu and Buddhist pantheons. Memories, Of a place deep within me, Where I live. That’s my Heimat. I carry my homeland Within me, Where ever I go. Is home where your father died, In a tragic car-mishap In the foothills of the Himalayas? Heimat isn’t there, Where your mother lives, In another country, To get away from the terror of the Maoists, No longer distressed by poverty. Is your Mom’s choice, What you also desire? Nein , home is where the heart is. Your heart is with the lady you love, Your children, The product of your genes, That you love dearly. Friends with whom you studied, And matured in your Bildungsroman. Your verein where you sing and share, Mundane thoughts and philosophy,...