A Poem for my Other Home Country

Germany:

Strength through time,
Metal worker, fishers and farmers,
Maker of beauty
Harsh, beautiful, enduring
Country of strength:
They say you are a killer, I believe them
Since I have seen the images of dead
They say you are evil, and I believe them
Since I have read of the evils you have done
I am told your people lack pride, I believe this
Since I have seen how you have been beaten down for your crimes
The fact remains, you have done this
But you are still strong:
Tell me of another country in which endurance is king
Show me a harsher land and I will follow you there
Harsh,
Beautiful,
Enduring,
Rebuilt upon the ashes of the past
You hold on, beaten and battered,
By those who want you brought down.
You stand by the forge, scars upon
Your hands, and grime on your face
Callused hands take hold of
Your long held-in suffering and hold it out
Enduring through time and space,
Your face holds signs of grim determination
Determination, to hold on to your
Well worn place as an empire in the world
The beautiful harshness of time shows
Upon your ragged face.
Determination, harsh beauty, and continual
Strength through time.