My Grandfather Joe returned
From the Great War with a stranger's shadow.
It mimicked him fairly well but sometimes.
Lost in thought, would keep on imitating
Some gesture after Joe had finished.
It didn't speak a word of Yiddish until Mabel,
Joe's sister-in-law, taught it a few commands
Nemt di fis arop funem tish! Take your feet off the table!
Es nisht di kats esn! Don't eat the cat's food!
Her aoyf tsu pruvn makhn di tsayt loyfn tsuri!
Stop trying to make Time run backwards!
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