He wanted them
to call him”Onkle”
but these Bavarian kids--
...Sister in a dirndl
...Brother with a feather in his Alpine cap--
were troubled by his sharp nose,
his severely parted hair.
All the children were caught
in the camera’s dark eye
half-dazed, open-mouthed
where his spirit must have crept in.
Each left his lap in tears,
ran to Mutti for comfort
who said “Habe keine Angst.”
But having taken the infection,
die Kinder knew better.
