A Jewish girl, in love with old things German.
Opera, poetry, quartets for strings in German.

Streets of concrete cubes, all closed and locked.
What Kafka meant: nothing mingles in German.

With tea or coffee, elaborate torte must be served.
For birthdays, flowers you must bring in German.

In the first warmth, all go outside bare-armed.
Shed boots and heavy coats. Spring in German.

We walked at dawn in North’s mild light.
Our little private summer fling in German.

We never understood what each one wanted.
We gave each other hurts and stings in German.

Oktoberfest. Rivers of beer, brewery tents, ponds of piss.
Barmaids heft liter-steins. Everybody sings in German.

Change your job? Only for misfits.
No one has new wings in German.

I love you, care in vain. Go where you are headed anyhow.
You need to live where you were born, to cling to German.