A ROMANTIC AULD EJEIT

Nat King Cole sings
Autumn Leaves
on the radio - in Japanese

My mother
falls in love
with it

I fail to find it for her
this being
pre-Internet days

so I sing it for her
making up
the Japanese words

I sing
different words
every day

sing she says...
"My...Donie's knee!"
'cos that how it sounds

which is what
we call it
after hearing it only the once

"Share it with Yuku!"
I sing whatever
comes to mind

"Oh more each day!"
the words have a life
of their own

when I have grown
to be this
man I am

I learn the proper Japanese
but she still thinks
I'm making it up

now here in her dying
she says sing me
"My  Donie's knee!"

so I sing
in my broken
Japanese

she squeezes my hand
whispers
softly...

"You were always
a romantic
auld eejit!"

"Ma doe day knee
Shari e yuku
Ha me kay no

Haré hi yo
Oh
mo e day...."