Ik

My first
Ride in an
Amsterdam
Tram I fell in
Love with the
Dutch people
When I read a
Sign in Dutch,
Will zu sitten
Ik kann standen
Realizing how
Polite the Dutch
Were raised to be.
I would wander down
The residential streets
At dusk noting behind most
See-through lace curtains the
Blue light of TV sets each showing
The deliciously inappropriate
Sitcom Malcolm in
The middle as
I imagined
Smiling
Faces
Watching
Behavior
Forbidden
By politeness
But enjoyed
And tolerated
By the Dutch
With quiet
Laughter.