and the walls came tumbling, tumbling, d o w n

If you had the misfortune of living on the East side of this wall, this is the view you had. Numbered blocks of reinforced concrete, each one 4 feet wide and 12 feet high and weighing a ton. Numbered gray rectangles, keeping you away from family, friends, freedom.
But on the side facing those in West Berlin?
Colorful graffiti, painted quickly during the night, graced the wall, enlivening the view.
On these four panels, two kings ruled on the four tons of concrete.

On the left, a bright, colorful, smiling king promised freedom for all.

The pale, blind king on the right shared only sadness, neglect, and enslavement with his subjects.






Thanks to Robert Hefner, collector of historical monuments, this portion of the Berlin Wall was salvaged. He bought it as a reminder of "the power of personal freedom". After twenty-eight years of separation, the structure was dismantled on November 9, 1989, by the very people it had once imprisoned. Personal freedom, in action!
The graffiti artist credited with daring to paint the panels, Dennis Kaun, certainly exercised his personal freedom, too.
Now, the panels reside, for the next year or so, at the University of Virginia, an institution founded by the father of the American concept of personal freedom, Thomas Jefferson.
How very befitting.
I found out yesterday about its presence on the grounds. I resolved to take a breather from my chemistry fraternity conclave to seek it out. I had already seen the Rotunda, the brains/library of the original campus designed by Mr. Jefferson. I had also viewed the Chapel, once not realizing what it was, as I walked the grounds to meet others for libations after the meetings.
Today, sore feet and all, I was determined to get as close as I could to this piece of history, this symbol of man's struggle against those who would subjugate others.
And so I did.
How very glad I am that I came to Virginia.