A Box of Old Family Pictures
I saw their names in our tree, but never //
looked further. As a child, I knew //
a few of them, but only a few.
Thinking About My Funeral
My friends will stand //
among the trees //
saying Kaddish.
T’zit T’zit
What begins as a tangle of threads in my hands becomes the connection to creation, forming visions behind my eyes, images within my heart, sounds inviting the sacred.
Bathing Beauty
I dry her hair //
gently, squeezing over her scalp //
as she used to do for me
Shifra, a Midwife
We know how to protect a child //
from hostile eyes, //
and there will be more deliveries on this journey.
Shevat
At sunset the oryx finds water inside shrubs. //
Magician of the desert, it links its straight horns to the sky.
The Avodah Service
He confesses his family’s sins to whom all praise is due //
He requests divine forgiveness, then declares TITHARU! //
The kohanim and the people who witness what was said //
Declare “Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuto L’Olam Va’ed.”
A Viddui for Rosh Hashanah L’Behemot
“What if we read our Torah with open eyes
and see that its truths are written
on the skins of our fellow creatures…”
Hashkiveinu: Strength in Vulnerability
“Guard us through the coming night
With peaceful faces, With faithful hands, / With the breath of life.”
Placenta Burial Ritual after the First 40 Days
This lovely closing ceremony marks the end of the Fourth Trimester with placenta burial.
