Pisz na Berdyczów! Poem by Emmanuel Moses

"Pisz na Berdyczów!" That means "Write to me at Berdichev"
Since all the merchants of Poland, Lithuania and Russia
Passed through Berdichev, a main commercial and banking center of the region
But when commerce moved to Odessa, the city went downhill quickly
And "Pisz na Berdyczów!" became "Write to nobody!" or "Leave me alone!"
He writes "Pisz na Berdyczów!" on a piece of paper and tacks it to his door
But no one reads Polish here, people don't understand what he means
So they knock, they ring the bell, they slide messages between the door and the
parquet
They whisper or they shout, they speak rudely or with distinction
According to the circumstance
What can you do under the circumstances?
"Pisz na Berdyczów!"

Translation: 2013, Marilyn Hacker