(Hear O IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel. the Lord our God the Lord is 1)
What’s the buzz Israel –
17 years already?
Cicadas sear dusk’s edges
as swollen ground spits gen x’rs
who split skin
rouse us from rem
with ancient rhythms of merging-birthing-dying
droning out what’s left of the day
A million wings clap at irregular intervals
until I can’t hear myself think, O Israel,
Blades of grass groan
under the weight of abandoned bodies crunching underfoot,
heightening the religiosity of love/death songs
and the instant choir who whine as one.
