I’m from the worlds that came before

Derived from days when cats dozed with their paws in the air

Nights of noisy and familiar exchanges in Hebrew

Days of baseball and sweets for fifty cents apiece

Nights of learning English from the ads on T.V.

Days of pushing boxes in the stale warehouse air

Nights of smiling at parties to hide the pounding migraine

Days of wondering what would happen if the fork poked the electric socket

Nights of pain missing ?????? (Dad).

Days and nights united by belief in the American dream, the work it took to get there

The inherent wish for a more affluent life

The sorrow at doors slamming in faces

The euphoria of an excelled task,

Two converging worlds, contrasting yet alike,

The worlds my parents brought to me.