September First

Did I move to the country
Of the dying or the living
Of the hostage or the free
Of the afraid or the fearless
Beaten? Emboldened?
Or is it — could it be? — both?
Do we all have hearts full
— Of cracks?
A daily struggle to hold it
Together
While dropping off our children
at gan.

About the Author

Zahava Bauer grew up in Teaneck, NJ and recently made Aliyah to Efrat from Bala Cynwyd, PA with her husband and three children. She is an English teacher in Ulpanat Oriya, and previously taught in Caskey Torah Academy in Philly. She loves to write poetry in her spare time, and enjoys snow days, hiking, and a day at the beach. Her Bachelor’s degrees are from Stern in Jewish Education and English Literature, and her Master’s degrees are from Azrieli and GPATS. She hopes for nothing more than peace in the Middle East and achdut among Am Yisrael!