When the Berlin Wall Finally Fell
When the Berlin Wall finally fell,
Bernstein led the orchestra and chorus
in Beethoven's 9th, and I was tearful
even if it was "only politics," but
I could hear the joy, watch Lenny
ihr ein Berliner, leaping up
on every downbeat, sharing the joy
with a chorus of children, adults
who'd lived beneath oppression,
and I said to my confused kids,
"remember what you see here,
remember it for all your lives,
for it is their Passover, their
celebration of deliverance."
Did they, do they? Since 1989
they have face their own deliverance,
the Ode to Joy is a special occasion,
and they may roll it out of the recesses
only if they need it.
I need it.
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