DER YIDDISH-VINKL March 4, 2005
By now, the special style and use of Yinglish (a mix of Yiddish and English) by our regular contributor, Stanley Siegelman, is known by readers of Der Vinkl. A goodly part of his genius is his rare ability to find subjects that bypass most of us. And in this column he does it again, with his choice of Viagra as his theme. In what follows, both the English and the Yiddish versions are the work of Siegelman.
Viagra far Alte Menner
In “nursing homes” zey krikhn shver:
Alte mener, veytikdik zeyer
Doktoyrim gibn zey a “drug”
Vos mener darfn (Oy, a klug!)
Viagra shlingen zey a sakh
Far vos, du fregst? Kum, gib a lakh
Vos tut dos far an altn “guy”?
Dertseyl far undz “the reason why”!
Der entfer iz gants prost, nisht “coy”
Es geyt — m’shushket zikh nit — azoy:
“Viagra farzorgt a ‘safety net’
Zey valgern zikh arop fun bet!”
Viagra for the Elderly
In nursing homes they move like snails
The populace of aging males
And yet the drug that they receive
(By far the most, would you believe?)
Is named Viagra, stimulant
That makes ’em yearn and squirm and pant
Can this be justified, we ask?
Or should we take the docs to task?
Just listen to the homes’ defense
And tell us if it makes good sense:
“Viagra, now much coveted
Prevents their rolling out of bed.”
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
![](https://forward.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jodi-Headshot.jpg)
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief