Neukolln, 2014

Walking in the street of Berlin, breathing the same air, listening to the same notes, eating in the communal backyard with Mara on her birthday, the Hung drum releasing frequencies that connect new friends. 

The sun is watching upon us while we ride the streets on our bikes.

Queuing for the Ai Weiwei exhibition a voice raises from a megaphone “Modernism is the original creation of enlightened human beings, it is the ultimate observation of the meaning of existence and the misery of reality” and the Angel watching over Berlin flies high. 

Meeting Steve and Miquette is our ritual, our 3.30 pm breakfast in SO23, swimming in the warm waters of the local Stadtbat, returning to Neukolln for a tea and hugs break at our Miracolo 40 base.

The wonder of basic communication between individuals.

The sweet simplicity of falling asleep close to each other on the sofa, while we order a take away and lazily discuss about quantum physics…background soundtracks to this being as various as Wagner and Einsturzende Neubauten.

Going to the worst bar in Pankow to drink a lemonade and someone asking me about the book I hold in my hands:” It’s from the Ai Weiwei exhibition” I reply.

The TV echoes a past war?

Somewhere in the world another bomb has exploded, more children have been killed in a Syrian school, while we strolled the streets of Berlin with Simona, Lello, Claudio, Eugene, Wolfgang, Roberto and the mythic Johnny.

Our heart beats, our lungs breathe in the air, our souls vigil upon us.

Kiev is still burning while we meditate in front of Goldin an’ Tillmans photographs.

The night falls and bring us to a dinner at our beloved Giorgio’s restaurant, friendly alchemy.

We, still Berlin. We, still friends.

We still on this planet and in the universe

We still…

Neukolln 2014


Giovanni Calemma (London)



Slow Words wishes to dedicate this short story to our beloved friend Simona, who left us too early.

The image cover is a Giovanni’s picture taken in Berlin in the same year of the story. He is a photographer based in London (and a dj we love a lot). 

As a photographer, he had shown recently for A-head Project (art, music and psychiatry) in Rome (Italy).

3 Responses to “Neukolln, 2014”

  1. Mgiraudy

    Beautifully written. !

    Reply
  2. Giovanni

    Thank you Miquette <3

    Reply

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