oy vey
everyday, oy vey
Granny couldn't get through
an hour without a dour
oy vey
the woeful phrase I recall,
though most of all, I still see her
scrubbed raw, red paws, always
clutching a tissue, to keep
the ghastly germs at bay
the ones she believed
yet survived the camps
no matter how much time
and scalding baptismal
water had flowed
though far from the filth
even farther from the ovens, safe
she still said oy vey and held the tissue tight
perhaps to keep out the night
I never had to see
oy vey, oy vey
The only thing I have ever written about my grandmother, Nessie W. 1904-1994. Her life deserves more than a few tepid lines. Perhaps more will come later.
