Vienna 1938

In Vienna they had something new,
Brushing the sidewalk with a toothbrush
Is a bearded,orthodox Jew,
They all laugh at this joke,
Watching the old man in his cloak,
Once he is finished,
They kick him around,
Such joys are hardly ever found,
My Father was once part of such a scene,
Forced the sidewalk, on his knees, to clean,
But in my heart of hearts I knew,
He was still proud to be a Jew,
'Some day', he said, 'the Nazis will go down
But Jews will still be in this town'.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2008 Alfred Charasz