Requiem

By Dr. David Laing Dawson

East Berlin

I took this photo in East Berlin in early January of 1961. It is clearer in my memory than in the digitized Kodak slide, the women digging and picking through the rubble of the Second World War.

And I wrote the lyrics of this song for MacBush, The Musical, in 2013. It was sung by the whole cast after my MacBeth/MacBush character sat alone on stage delivering the “Tomorrow and tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech.

These are the lyrics, written for the war in Iraq, but again, unfortunately, topical.

We speak words and make decisions

Without history, without vision

We do and can’t undo

A playground of revision

A butterfly in China

May cause someone angina

A drone in Pakistan

Could affect my pension plan.

Will there ever be

A time when we can see

Will there ever be

A time when we can see

Beyond our bed of roses

Beyond our freckled noses

Beyond at least tomorrow

When this will bring us sorrow

Beyond our bedroom walls

Beyond our hallowed halls

Beyond at least tomorrow

How this can bring but sorrow

Will there ever be

A time when we can see

Will there ever be

A time when we can see

War is just a three letter word

While death’s a little longer

Revenge can add a letter or two

While vengeance is even stronger

Will there ever be

A time when we can see.