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Begone Pharaoh

I’ve been pondering

I’ve been wondering

Who let the Pharaoh in?

The voice that shouts nope!

The voice that saps hope

Let Pharaoh be mum for mummy

I’ve been hawing

I’ve been hemming

With all this condemning

Who let the Pharaoh in?

Leave him in Egypt

Thundering from rusty throne

Cast him in the nile

Abandoned alone

There is no place for Pharaoh

When yes is the mode

There is no place for Pharaoh

When hope’s our abode

All that is disparaging and defeatist

All that is arrogant and elitist

Tell it where to go —

Giddy-up! gallop! Begone Pharaoh

Take out your pen

And write again

Dust off your brush

And paint — if not now when?

Step forward, be heard

Courage: the word

Time to cast away Pharaoh

Evil tyrant and bore

On Passover and forevermore.

This year in Jerusalem!

About the Author

Chana holds an M.S. in Special Education. Her innovative poems, essays and lectures reflect two and a half decades of experience working with students of all ages and abilities. Chana's writing has been published on Chabad.org, meaningfullife.com as well as in The Canadian Jewish News, The Jewish Press, and AMI. As a longtime volunteer with the Friendship Circle, Chana was recognised by the Ontario Legislature for “bringing a smile to the faces of children with special needs.” Although Chana 's "heart is in the east" she currently lives with her with her family in Toronto.