Fascinated by the decadence of pre-war Germany, a frantic epoch frought with passions of social, political and artistic focus, I wrote this poem after watching several old German films.   The poem is posted at Tulpendiebe on tumblr, a site created by Jürgen Fauth, the co-founder of the writer’s site, Fictionaut.  He has also written a novel, titled “Kino.”  My poem, titled, “I see a sea of cinema faces, black and white, black and white, black and white” is my poor attempt to capture something of the decadence and the tone of the era.  You can read it at:

http://tulpendiebe.tumblr.com/post/23918674036/i-see-a-sea-of-cinema-faces-black-and-white-black-and

The tumblr site also has a link to Fauth’s book and in Tulpindiebe, you will find an odd, curious, fascinating collection of works, prose, poems, art, photos that are marvelously tuned to the epoch and to the period in which Fauth’s novel is placed.  It’s a fascinating period.

One of the most memorable film clips from any period is the beer garden scene from Cabaret.  I could describe it, but here’s the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoaeWHwHaW0&feature=related

If you haven’t seen it, you must see it for the full impact.  It condenses the chilling emotions of the time in a way that no words could describe.