It came out of my mouth for no reason,
I said, “Es tut mir Leid,”
talking to a friend about lunch.
I have reasons to mourn,
but sorrow is out of mind. Why did I speak German,
afraid my German friends will die?
I don’t know The Sorrows of Young Werther.
I sang when I was three or four
Hänschen klein ging allein.
Now I sing,
Es tut mir Leid,
the sun is still bright,
out of sight.
Yesterday, Death wrote
me a note: “You hog,
there’s one too many in the boat.
The curtain has fallen.
It’s all epilogue,
you’re a has been
from here on in.”
I say, “Clocks don’t tell time, they just grin.”