ELEGY

(Uncle Bernie, 1912-1993)

 

For the lullaby story of butterflies and gnomes,

Three moons and a cracked river.

 

For the hairy, fleshy hands pulling coins from my ear,

Three moons and a cracked river.

 

For blue silk suits, perfumed face, and blue-nimbus cigar,

Three moons and a cracked river.

 

For loud kisses we traded on each other’s bald head,

Three moons and a cracked river.

 

And for the mute blind dwarf curled up like a molt,

Three moons, a cracked river.

Review – from Kirkus Reviews

“His poems traverse a broad emotional range, from the comfortable and familiar to the unsettling. His verse reveals a man who is both a humanist and a humorist whose focus remains on the rich details of personal experience rather than the abstractions of larger events.”  —Kirkus Reviews, 2000, Amazon.

“Norbert Hirschhorn’s manipulation of language and its rythms is masterful. He weaves images of great delicacy and poignancy and scans the world and people around him with a piercing yet empathetic look. Hirschhorn is an erudite poet, his work rich with allusion…” —Mishka Mojabber Mourani, April 5, 2001, Amazon