Harvey Samuel Nelson

Katz must be a Jew
Stein must be a Jew
Horowitz must be a Jew
Nelson sounds like one of us

I am a Jew fitting in with the name Nelson
People get to know me before passing judgement

Somewhere in the past the Katz was dropped
So I was just another kid

Could be why I never understood anti-Semitism
Scratch that – I understood it

But I never felt it
At least not the in your face kind

Wonder how my life and my view of the world
Would have changed if I was a Katznelson?

Samuel may have given a clue
But never thought of using it

So first impressions were based on Harvey
My wife often says, “What mother looks at a baby and names it Harvey?”

But Harvey turned out to be a great name
Different than Nelson that was camouflage blending in with the crowd

Harvey created a mystery like a Salvador Dali painting
Layers within layers, melting clocks, a world of possibilities

To be an empty glass without preconceptions
No history, no comparisons, no hate

I hope I did right by this privilege
I hope I changed the world a little bit

By showing the non-Jewish friends I made
We are all human no matter our names