ora pro nobis

 

From the incessant drone of bombers above there was no respite

For we Berliners it was every day and every night

The whistling and screaming of falling bombs as they fell

Conjured up scenes of a burning, unforgiving hell

 

One alert brought the flying fortresses, glistening in the sun of the sky

Then as if by stealth Lancaster bombers came by night again to try

We cowered in our cellars and bunkers

With no furniture or food, sitting on our hunkers

 

Earth shattering explosions and distant screams

The ground about us shook even the earth´s seams

By now few had homes and lived below ground

In an attempt to survive the nightmarish sound

 

Bombs fell all around as guns blazed back in fury

We sat fearful yet resigned to die in moments so weary

Water and electricity were no more

With hardly a crumb to be had in the store

 

Early one morning before the dawn came

The bombers left and we could hear the rain

A lull had occured between the hellish raids

One lady sat holding two dead babes

 

A close blast of immense power had taken their lives

We had survived and continued to thrive

We seemed not to notice or care

But sat and stared at something quite rare

 

Some decided to brave and enter the street

Such courage was a daily common feat

We struggled upwards out into the night

Stumbling over rubble piled to the left and right

 

Aghast we stopped frozen by a different fright

In front of us was a truly incredible sight

The Blessed Virgin stood with open arms

And for once there were no air raid alarms

 

She stood above the ground by a few metres

She was there to beckon and greet us

There was an inner light within her being

Which enabled us to grasp with true seeing

 

Slowly we walked towards her welcoming embrace

As we approached we could see her heavenly face

Then she retreated into the ruins and out of sight

Leaving us cold and shivering but with a certain delight

 

We wanted to follow her into the bombed city

It was then we realised she had shown us pity

A barrier in the dark now blocked our way

Astonished before us we found food in an array

 

Long tables neatly laid out with hot food and bread

To reach this banquet we walked over the dead

The Virgin had visited us thro´the hell of the night

To bring her love and to see us all right

 

ora pro nobis