The Conqueror Worm

Out—out are the lights—out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,

Falckensteinstraße, Berlin, 10997, Germany

And the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”
And its hero the Conqueror Worm.

From Edgar Allen Poe’s The Conqueror Worm (1843)

Last Train From Berlin

There was no warning…

Oberbaum Bridge, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg,Berlin, Germany

…just a pounding on the door and then a few fleeting minutes to settle the affairs of a lifetime.

From Howard K Smith’s The Last Train From Berlin (1943)

Needles Into Nerves

They hurled lights in his eyes to see if he could see…

Fernsehturm Berlin, Panoramastraße, 10178 Berlin, Germany

…rammed needles into nerves to hear if he could feel.

From Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 (1961)