Up on the hill stands the old broken fortress of Heidelberg.
In her dust-powdered wig from yesterday,
Still standing watch over her city,
Though bare, broken bricks show through, and
Sagging breastworks prove her youth's long past.
Far down, flows the cold, blue-gray water
Of the Neckar,
With the old, arched bridge,
Perhaps seen in postcards,
Showing it in sunlight,
But,
In my mind it is last seen
On a rainy April day.
As I turned to view the bridge,
Behind me,
The vine-entangled castle brooded,
About all the sad history she's endured.
She's been burned, you know, and
Damn near destroyed so many times.
Even so, she still watches over the city.
They say there's a curse on
The old Heidelberg castle,
But, he who laid the curse is long since dead...
Still, the old lady stands there,
Rain, sun, snow...
Watching over her city.
Donovan Baldwin