Though she appreciated her doing the laundry,
My grandmother was embarrassed by the banshee
Who bewailed my grandfather's death.
No other Jews in Brooklyn had a banshee;
Just like Max to have inherited something so peculiar!
Though Max was long ago buried in Montefiore
The banshee showed no sign of leaving
(At least her ear-piercing wails gradually diminished
To a disconsolate mutter.) Esther told visitors
The banshee was an unbalanced relative
Whose troubles had made her slightly transparent.
One cannot ignore guests because they're disconcerting;
When Esther brewed her 3 A.M. cup of tea
She always made another for the banshee,
Putting in a half-teaspoonful of sugar.
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