The Danube Poem by Augusta Mendelsohn

Let's board a boat
Sail down the Danube
From the misty Black Forest
To the delta marshes.

Let's watch the heart of Europe
Slipping into gentle decadence
The old order fading
As we pass by.

Fortified ramparts
With nothing to defend
Gothic spires
Steeped in medieval heroics.
Battered greenish cupolas
Sheltering imperial splendor.
Pedestrian alcoves
For those blessed with the leisure
To enjoy puffy pastries
And the morning newspaper.

And finally my sleepy dusty town
The old wobbly bridge
That refused to crumble
The sweet flagrance
Of river weeping willows in bloom.