When Esther was young she and her sister
Somehow decided that Esther would be
The practical one and Irene would go on
Looking beautiful, playing her violin and
Making what looked like people
Out of smoke of which there was a lot
In Lemberg, stored there because
If the war came there'd be a shortage
And a smart man with a warehouse
Full of smoke could make a thaler or two.
Esther was 14 when she began working
In a cigarette factory and became
A timekeeper and might have made a career
There but the factory burned down;
This wasn't, she said, a bit funny since
It put her out of a job. She asked Irina
For a turn being the pretty, musical one
But Irene said no and Esther married Max.
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