“Ha-ven yakir li Efrayim, im yeled sha’ashu’im—
Ki-midei dabri bo, zakhor ezkerenu od…”
“Is not Efrayim my dear son, my precious child—
even when I speak against him, I remember him with tenderness…”
—Jeremiah 31:20
Bright pitch of a ten-year-old
sings this touching verse,
bass quartet echo, congregation
humming in unison
Abba taught the melody
a child once bounced on his knee,
but innocence can not know
of a parent’s deepest yearning
A boy’s innocence thins
as the voice thickens—
father’s reprimand resonates
like a rock through glass
Standing eye-to-eye
adolescent independence
a duet of pride and debate—
rebuke, regret, forgiveness
Breathing is necessary
separation natural, chosen
by son and father
their bond still precious as truth
Disappointment and delight together
like prophetic words—love endures
as Efrayim becomes a father
and both know each other as men
