In the last hours of Yom Kippur,
as I sit with a rumbling stomach,
reflecting on regrets, I read
the story of Jonah, that prophet
who ran away when asked
to save a city, who refused
Divine request.
How does he compare?
To the story Jews read
a few weeks later
about Noah, a man who
never questioned God, who
simply picked up a hammer
to do as he was told.
Two men from the Torah
with rhyming names.
One said, “yes.”
The other, “no.”
Jonah didn’t want to try.
Noah didn’t see a choice.
Who will I be
as this stormy year unfolds?
The one who sits in the belly of a whale,
clutching anger, frustration, and fear?
Or the one who finds wood and builds a ship
to survive the oncoming flood?
from Manna in the Morning (Kelsay Books, 2021)
