Amsterdam

it is hard to imagine
that a mere seventy years ago
these streets were filled
with the tremble and sorrow
of guns, tanks and boots
this elegant antiquity
of stone, brick and morter
now plastered with placards
for ipod and prada
techno kids
dressed for space
swarm to the house beats and blips
with swimming eyes and sweating lips
eons away from the grounded ease
of accordian and violin
still
romance thrives
in each spoke
of every bike
along each canal

NH