Between the Rivers

The Hudson River stretches wide

From Jersey to the far west side.

The east, though, is where I reside

So I don’t see it much.

It’s quite majestic, driving past

And on the highway, going fast,

I try to conjure up the past

When locals spoke in Dutch.

‘Cross town, another river flows,

Much narrower and, I suppose,

Some Germans came because that shows 

In restaurants and such.

Between the rivers, New York grew

And other cultures added to

The melting pot, which no one knew

Would suffer Ice’s clutch.