Take a Break

Un deux trois quatre
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Good! Un deux trois quatre
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf
Cinq six sept huit neuf

Sept huit neuf—
Sept huit neuf—
Sept huit neuf—
Sept huit neuf—
One two three four five six seven eight nine!

My dearest, Angelica
“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day”
I trust you’ll understand the reference to
Another Scottish tragedy without my having to name the play
They think me Macbeth, and ambition is my folly
I’m a polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive pain
Madison is Banquo, Jefferson’s Macduff
And Birnam Wood is Congress on its way to Dunsinane
And there you are, an ocean away
Do you have to live an ocean away?
Thoughts of you subside
Then I get another letter
I cannot put the notion away…
Take a break
I am on my way
There’s a little surprise before supper
And it cannot wait
I’ll be there in just a minute, save my plate
Alexander—
Okay, okay—
Your son is nine years old today
And he has something that he’d like to say
He’s been practicing all day

Philip, take it away—
Daddy, daddy, look—
My name is Philip
I am a poet

I wrote this poem just
To show it
And I just turned nine
You can write rhymes
But you can’t write mine
What!
I practice French
And play piano with my mother
Uh-huh!
I have a sister, but I want a little brother
Okay!
My daddy’s trying to start America’s bank
Un deux trois quatre cinq!
Bravo!
Take a break
Hey, our kid is pretty great
Run away with us for the summer
Let’s go upstate
Eliza, I’ve got so much on my plate
We can all go stay with my father
There’s a lake I know…
I know
In a nearby park
I’d love to go
You and I can go when the night gets dark…
I will try to get away
My dearest Alexander
You must get through to Jefferson
Sit down with him and compromise
Don’t stop ‘til you agree
Your fav’rite older sister
Angelica, reminds you
There’s someone in your corner all the way across the sea
In a letter I received from you two weeks ago
I noticed a comma in the middle of a phrase
It changed the meaning. Did you intend this?
One stroke and you’ve consumed my waking days
It says:
“My dearest Angelica”
With a comma after “dearest.” You’ve written
“My dearest, Angelica.”

Anyway, all this to say
I’m coming home this summer
At my sister’s invitation
I’ll be there with your fam’ly
If you make your way upstate
I know you’re very busy
I know your work’s important
But I’m crossing the ocean and I just can’t wait
You won’t be an ocean away
You will only be a moment away…

Alexander, come downstairs. Angelica’s arriving today!

Angelica!
Eliza!

The Schuyler sisters!

Alexander
Hi
It’s good to see your face
Angelica, tell this man John Adams spends the summer with his family
Angelica, tell my wife John Adams doesn’t have a real job anyway
…you’re not joining us? Wait
I’m afraid I cannot join you upstate
Alexander, I came all this way
She came all this way—
All this way—
Take a break
You know I have to get my plan through Congress
Run away with us for the summer
Let’s go upstate
I lose my job if I don’t get my plan through Congress
We can all go stay with our father
There’s a lake I know
I know I’ll miss your face—
In a nearby park
Screw your courage to the sticking place—
You and I can go
Eliza’s right—
Take a break.
Take a break and get away—
Run away with us for the summer—
Let’s go upstate
Let’s go upstate
Where we can stay
We can all go stay with our father
If you take your time—
Look around, look around
You will make your mark
At how lucky we are to be alive right now—
Close your eyes and dream—
We can go—
When the night gets dark
When the night gets dark

Take a break
Take a break
I have to get my plan through Congress
I can’t stop until I get this plan through Congress