mhall46184@aol.com
Little Schlomo and His Life Jacket
No one ever figured out how Schlomo
Got off the ship with his life jacket
But there he was on the pier among the crowd
Sitting sadly on his little brown suitcase
And wearing a life jacket from the ship
With "Orinoco" stenciled across it
A sailor in a white uniform wanted it
But Schlomo would not take it off
A policeman in a blue uniform wanted it
But Schlomo would not take it off
Schlomo's father told him he wanted it
But Schlomo would not take it off
And on the bus ride through the city
Schlomo would not let go of it
And for weeks Schlomo wore his life jacket
In the park
In the dark
In his schule
In his school
Until one day in the park on the little river's bank
He took it off
He threw it in
It promptly sank
Then said to himself, our little Schlomo,
"I knew some how - it was time to let go."
Note: I disapprove of exposition, but I will violate my own rule in the matter: 1. I am not Jewish. 2. I have not recently thought about the tragedies of the refugee ships in the 1930s. 3. Little Schlomo, with his paperboy's cap, his dark coat, his shorts, his scuffed shoes, and his lifejacket appeared in a dream last night and I don't know why, but here he is. I hope he will return.
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