Blessed Be

Here are some of my poems written in the 1980s for and about the State of Israel (also found in my book Before Our Very Eyes: Readings for a Journey Through Israel)

First a short one, for when one is overwhelmed by so many things happening to your Jewish soul:

Simile

A summer in Israel
is like a whole felafel
you buy at your favorite kiosk:
textures and shapes
abundantly packed
to the breadtearing rim;
tastes and combinations,
filling,
ultimately digestable.

Psalm 26 – Blessed Be Your Negev

Blessed be Your Negev,
for it shall bring forth sesame and apples.
Bless be Your Galilee,
for it shall be a rest for Exiles coming home.
Blessed be the rocks, the buses,
the grocery stores and balconies,
for they are holy, too;
the parrot in Eilat quotes the Prophets,
and the grinding of the gears are melodies
to Your discerning listeners.

O my God,
I could list forever
all the sacred things of Israel:
the jets with their Star of David wings,
the pomegranates and sunflowers,
the accents of a thousand lands,
the beards, gold-domed vistas,
the way the people carry their freedom,
the history in the air,
the wisdom in the streets,
the fishponds and alfalfa fields,
the awesomeness of Hebrew.

Glorified, magnified,
sanctified and praised by You,
for all these wonders