This is New York

1. Einleitung 

He flew in like an albatross
Against a misadorned September
Fluctuations in the weather. 
Here they read out Fahrenheit;
There they read out steps in metres 
Sweep a century in footsteps 
Through a Prague or Heidelberg. 
There they read out dreams in digits,
Here she thought it would be better;
Candied notes, a rainbow set of values, 
Culture, business and propriety.
There they speak another language, 
Undermine a separate thought, 
Take a Jew at his face value. 
He was never tired, apprehensive, 
Sprinkled letters over sullied oceans.
There in Lisbon he saw actions 
Written only in our textbooks.
There they raised a man on values, 
Spelling sounds in separate tongues.

2. Biographie

Seventeen he donned his kippa in a room;
There they sing out slurs in samples
Ringing all throughout the Seder, 
Here we sing out prayers and tunes.
He held open doors and windows, 
Whisked her nightly to his room; 
There they played in pantomimes, 
Painted syllables of riddles
Strewn across the evening sky. 
There she learned to be a princess, 
No one else had said it so. 
Here a woman was to fend the
Monsters off all by herself; 
There he said he would protect her, 
But he never told her all the truth. 

3. Usw. 

There in Europe it was safer 
Consummating marriage vows. 
Here they vended lollipops of 
Freedom tasteless to the tongue. 
Then he said there was no freedom 
Here she said they had each other, 
There he hesitated, sighed. 
Why did you forebear to tell me
There he said that love was futile 
Vetted libertines without good taste. 
I have always known them seething, 
Hiding from these Catholic saints. 
Well at least you could have told me— 
Well at least you could have told me!
You were here, neglecting mastheads 
With their varicoloured flags—
I was here, protecting values, 
While you harboured envied lust. 
Would they really send you packing, 
If they knew of this light blue? 
Would I really have detested 
Consummation, nature, you? 
Here they call that prejudice. 
Well I think I cannot change. 
You must know I cannot be here—
Boarding transatlantic planes.
I wish you luck in finding him.  
And you know we must look over
Palpitating weathervanes.