The Angel of History
Hindsight’s my forte, since backwards I fly
In time in space but cannot turn my head
To see the future. All those past events
And characters – their causes and effects –
That influenced the world since history
Began millennia ago are stored
Indelibly within my memory.
And yet I can’t forecast what is to come
Because that only is perceptible
By me once it attains reality.
Hence I, like you, can only speculate
About what is to be until it has
Already happened and, become part of the past,
Observable within my field of view at last.
