WHAT'S NEW
The following two poems were recently published by Sasson Magazine: https://sassonmag.com
For All These I Am Grateful
for seeing ibex leaping across desert sands,
snowflakes meandering like swans on a lake
and gold clouds, like crouching lions, in the twilight sky;
for hearing the sparrows’ song at dawn,
the sea’s lapping the shore
and thunder’s clap;
for the aroma of freshly-baked brownies and bread,
the fragrance of jasmine and pine
and the scent of a freshly-mown lawn;
for chocolate melting in my mouth,
thick soup on cold nights
and frozen mango on hot days;
for my child’s hug, like a cherub around my neck,
my dog kissing my fingers with his long pink tongue
and the peace in my home when everyone’s asleep.
...................................................
for seeing ibex leaping across desert sands,
snowflakes meandering like swans on a lake
and gold clouds, like crouching lions, in the twilight sky;
for hearing the sparrows’ song at dawn,
the sea’s lapping the shore
and thunder’s clap;
for the aroma of freshly-baked brownies and bread,
the fragrance of jasmine and pine
and the scent of a freshly-mown lawn;
for chocolate melting in my mouth,
thick soup on cold nights
and frozen mango on hot days;
for my child’s hug, like a cherub around my neck,
my dog kissing my fingers with his long pink tongue
and the peace in my home when everyone’s asleep.
...................................................
Her First Song
Im ein ani li mi li…*
the little girl sings the Hebrew words
as she prances around the London drawing-room,
and glancing in the mirror, sees her corkscrew curls
dancing at her shoulders –
an English child who does not understand the words of her song.
Im ein ani li mi li
uk’she’ani l’atzmi, ma ani…
the teenager sings into a microphone
in a Brighton folk club
as she swings her blond hair behind her shoulders –
an English teen who has learnt to translate her song.
Im ein ani li mi li
uk’she’ani l’atzmi, ma ani…
the words dance in the grandmother’s head
as she climbs Jerusalem’s steps,
long hair under a purple scarf.
She reflects how Hillel’s words are mirrored in her life
and on the meaning of her childhood song.
* If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?
But if I am for myself what am I?
And if not now, then when?
Mishna, Avot 1:14
Im ein ani li mi li…*
the little girl sings the Hebrew words
as she prances around the London drawing-room,
and glancing in the mirror, sees her corkscrew curls
dancing at her shoulders –
an English child who does not understand the words of her song.
Im ein ani li mi li
uk’she’ani l’atzmi, ma ani…
the teenager sings into a microphone
in a Brighton folk club
as she swings her blond hair behind her shoulders –
an English teen who has learnt to translate her song.
Im ein ani li mi li
uk’she’ani l’atzmi, ma ani…
the words dance in the grandmother’s head
as she climbs Jerusalem’s steps,
long hair under a purple scarf.
She reflects how Hillel’s words are mirrored in her life
and on the meaning of her childhood song.
* If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?
But if I am for myself what am I?
And if not now, then when?
Mishna, Avot 1:14