In a world where nation lifts up sword against nation
I’m opting out
because It’s not about
Fighting the inevitable
Or trying to hold on
to the minute hand
as it drags my feet in the sand
when watching the clock is as eternal as the mortal battle against the
immortal
Inevitability of time.
And The time we do spend in this world
is characterized by demons eyes
Conducting one mans sword to another mans chest
And minutes are reversed
from present moments of knowing you
To a context of past tense
Leaving me with memory of knowing you
I knew you
When u were alive
Before you were survived
By your two year old son, Moishie
Because the race against time was rigged
Two men playing god
Pulled the battery from the clocks belly
And its quiet in this moment of solitude
Blood on the floor,
seconds beckon
To return to that audible beckoning
Tick tock.
And I knew you when you were alive
On that humid, monsoon eve
At about five
We knocked on your door
And fell like worn travelers
Onto your floor
And into your smell
Of Challah bread
And our family You fed
And the four of us you led
To rooms with made-up beds
And asked us to rest
On your chest
Not literally
But figuratively
And honestly
You were kind
With others in mind
At all times
Rabbi- you arrived
At about nine
After the synagogue services that you revived
Had ended.
And Rivki, you waited
For your husband and your guests
As if
You had been waiting your whole life
To give us a slice
Of that challah bread.
In a world where nation lifts us sword against nation, you gave us refuge.
Amen.