German Ingenuity

Every day an image sticks, often a thing
I’ve never even seen glowing bright
a story from someone else today
what stayed came from icy roads
where we talked to distract ourselves
from the perils of unsalted roads
She told me about her childhood
in Germany the stalag became a summer
camp with wide lawns for dancing
and sports. The army barracks
became a school. When the
weather turned, children hung
their coats on the gun racks.