A small
Crumbling
Tenement
Sits on a long-forgotten street
As feathery snowflakes
Make slushy puddles on the sidewalk
A wide-eyed girl
Leans out a window
Drinking in the
Biting
But refreshing
Winter air
Infinitely starless eyes shine with joy
At the sight of snowfall
".???, ???????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ????????
?? ? ???? ?????!"
Music ringing through ev’ry word
That echoes through the apartment
The window slams shut
Guilt painted across the little one’s face
"????????, ??????. ?? ? ???? ????? ???? ??????!"
Twin candles drip on the worn dinner table
Safely secured in eggshell holders
Gently painted with blush-tinted roses
The softening glow attracting the family
Gathering around
A woman with hands of coffee
And a fragile veil over her coal-dusted hair
Murmurs an ancient litany
"???? ??? ? ??????? ??? ?????
??? ????? ???????
????? ?????? ?? ?? ???"
The young girl fidgets
Wanting desperately
To be able to run back to the window
And watch the snow fall
As dawn wakes the city
The older woman smiled
Remembering her youth
And enchanted promises of snowfall
Another child
A younger boy
Pops out from behind the woman
Giggling
"?????
?????
? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ???"
The woman laughs
The sound jumping from her chest
"????? ???? ??? ?????????? ???, ??? ???? ?????????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??????, ???? ??? ????"
Her scolding is interrupted
By a delighted squeal
"??????, ??????! ??? ??? ???? ?? ????!
????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??????????"
Which is answered with an annoyed huff
"???, ??? ????, ????????. ?????? ? ?? ???? ??? ?????-
And a poke to tiny stomachs
- ??? ???????? ?????? ??????? ?? ???!"
Water begins to boil in a small copper pot
The bubbles popping on the surface
As eggs bob like boats
On a salty sea
Just as the water begins to hiss
On the edge of a teacup
A trumpet begins its blaring tune outside
"???, ??? ????.
???? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ?????."
With the clanging of the instrument
Horribly clashing
With the gentle
  Delicate
    Flakes
A sharp crack
And a buttery yellow yolk
Dawns
On the edge of the snowy shell
Two chipped navy teacups
Slide across the unfinished wooden table
Filled to the brim
With bitter inky tea
That highlights your senses with each sip
Just as the woman
Turns
To nest the candles back in their cotton homes
One of the teacups
And one of the eggs
Is finished
Drained straight to the frosted bottoms
A coat hook clacks
Against the handle
Of a barely-there umbrella
An obsidian curtain
Whips through the air
"????? ???? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ???, ???????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ?????"
With doey brown eyes
The little girl
Pleads for her freedom
"???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ????? ?????
??? ??? ??."
A look towards their barren icebox
With only a lonely plum rotting to mush
And another toward the children’s faces
Sallow
Traced with blue-tinged lips
"???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ????? ???, ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ????! ??? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?????!"
Confusion and victory war across the innocent face
Until curiosity
And excitement to explore win out
A child’s maroon winter coat
Dingy patches
Clumsily sewn onto the elbows
Tugs on the coatrack
A matching satin ribbon
Already dirty
Tightens around a sable rope
Click- click- click
The dial on the dented lockbox
Clicking with anticipation
Until
A clack
And the dial freezes
Two crinkled dollar bills
Cushioning a single glistening quarter
The face of liberty
Glaring back at the two women
Daring them to spend a cent
The heavy door shakes on its hinges
As the teeny girl
A smoky wisp
In this crowded city
Ventures out
On her adventure

A streetcar pulls alongside her
Ding-ding-ding
As she shuffles down the street
It’s surprising
How many people
Wake up with the city
Peddler’s wares
Being advertised straight down the block
In a rainbow of languages
From the fishy brine of Italian clams
Vongole! vongole fresche!
To the ripened juice of Irish apples
Úlla! Faigh do úlla! Dea do leann úll!
And the steaming, buttered German pretzels
Brezeln! Brezeln! Heiß und gebuttert!
But as the little wisp strolls down the sidewalk
Laden with mouthwatering treats
A strange sound hits her ears
"Hey little girl, want to hear a song?"
She squeaks
The rough shout still echoing
In her eardrum
"-??? ??? ????????, ???
I mean, I am sorry, sir.
You scared me."
A deep laugh
Pulls itself
From the depths
Of the old man’s belly
"Well, I’m sorry
Li’l miss
I don’t mean to scare nobody
So anyways,
How much English do you know?"
And with a simple question
The floodgates break
Memories of lessons that she couldn’t untangle
And swallowing constants
Like burning coals
First with rhymes in school
Like
Cat
   Rat
      Bat
         Mat
Words that couldn’t make sentences
She wanted to say
Then vocabulary lessons at the Jewish Community Centre
Toilet
Streetcar
  Yes sir
    Welfare
      Typhoid
Words that didn’t make sense
Of things she wanted to know
Worst of all, the street
That taught her the most
Like
Lazy
  Coppers
     Inescapable 
        Drunkard
           Roaches
              Ruski
                 Evicted
Words that make thoughts
She didn’t want to hear
"Uh… A little?
My mother does not know any.
Or my brother.
Why do you want to know?"
A hardened thumb
Jerks up the brim
Of a tattered green fedora
"Don’t know how to say nothing else
So, do you know any songs in English?" 
Pages of sheet music
Flip through her head
An invisible force
Landing
On “Home Sweet Home”
By Alice...
Nielsen.
A lilting voice
Haunts her ears
As indistinguishable words
Float through her mind
Perfect
"'Home Sweet Home',
By Alice Nielsen.
Please, sir?"
The man shrugs
And in one swoop
Raises the trumpet to his lips
And blows
A dismal tune
wafts through the air
Curling around street corners        
And enveloping the elfish girl
In his eerie carol
"??? ??? ?????? ????! ???? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????"
"What did you say, little girl?"
Her face falls
Remembering where she is
"Oh, sorry, sir.
May you… tell me how to do that?"    
A smile crosses his lips
"Always happy to teach,
Little one.
So what do you want to know?"

As the door
To the hallowed Bronen’s
Clangs against the brassy shop bell
The pair’s presence is announced
The little wisp
Is reeling
"??? ????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??? ? ??????????!"
The wizened shopkeeper
Just smiles
Remembering when he was that naive
"?? ? ???? ?????, ???? ???. ?? ????.
??? ???? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???????"
He puckers his lips
And then pulls his mouth open
Like giving a kiss
Brass
  Brass
The little mouth echoes the word
Skipping around the glass displays
Singing it
As softly as she can
A tug
On the trumpet man’s coat
"Are all these horns brass?"
Another laugh
Deep and throaty
"Most, yeah, but not the one I was thinking about
For you."
In a single sweeping motion
The little girl
Appears
Atop the trumpet man’s shoulders
"See up there,
On top of the cabinet?"
A quick search
"What am I looking for?"
"The… briefcase lookin’ thing.
Right there, at the back."
Her little hand
Fingers outstretched
Curls around the handle
Of the instrument case
And pulls it close to her chest
I have it!
A small smile
touches the trumpet man’s lips
"Open it, little one.
C’mon, you can do it!"
The latch snaps open
To reveal three stout tubes
All the colour
Of tarnished nickels
"???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?????, ?? ???? ?!"
A sharp rough laugh
Erupts from behind the counter
???? ??? ?????, ???? ???. ??? ?????? ???, ??? ? ??? ?? ? ??????? ?? ????. ?? ? ???? ?? ???? ????.
Her pint-sized legs
Toddle over to the desk
Pulling herself up
To meet the shopkeeper’s gaze
"????? ???? ??? ??????, ??? ? ??? ?? ? ??????? ?? ???? ?! ??? ??? ?? ??????? ???????
??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??????!"
The only response
Is a shake of his head
"??? ????? ??????? …'
As he shifts the pieces of the instrument into place
'?? ????? ?? ????????."
Her exasperation is transformed into wonder
When the shopkeeper blows on the keyhole
And the clearest warble
Fills the room
An invisible ballet
Floats through the air
Note after note
With the grace of a trapezist
Until the melody falls from her ears
And the magic is broken
The girl sighs
Her murmur a sheet of paper
Fluttering from her lips
"?? ? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??????!
????? ??? ????? ????????"
"Ode to Joy
By Beethoven."
The trumpet man
Leans against a glass case
Twice his height
"It’s a won’erful piece o’ music
Ain’t it?"
"??? ???? ????, ??? ??? ???????? ?????? ????? ????????!"
Another hearty laugh
"I bet."
The thin instrument
Is snapped apart
And cradled back into its home
The shopkeeper holds the leather case
Out to the little girl
"???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ????."
Her face glows
Lighting itself from the inside
"??? ?????? ???
?????. ?? ? ?????."
She springs to her feet
And squeezes the old man
By the waist
Grabbing the case in both hands
Afraid it’ll burst into smoke
And runs out the door
With the promise
To come back
And play music
Again.