Conceit

Summer, 2022 / No. 49

Alfred Wolfsohn will tell her that “art is bound up 

with self love.” 

                     But they haven’t met yet. 

In 1936 

Berlin 

institutes of higher learning are all but closed to Jews 

and Lotte is a Jew. 

                Furthermore, she’s thought to have no great 

artistic gift. 

Ironic then she should have thought: 

                              “Perhaps I could learn to draw, 

                           that might be the thing. 

           Perhaps 

I could learn to draw, 

                              I’d really have a fling.” 

Maybe not ironic, 

maybe harmonic; maybe not harmonic, 

maybe just bad verse.