In the quiet days after Tisha B’Av,Â
the shofar is still wrapped in silenceÂ
waiting to be retrieved,Â
a ram’s horn slowly awakening
from its year-long sleep, soon to stir
us with its heart-rending sound,
the blast of a ram long gone,
yet its plea for life still stirringÂ
us to long for life,
still urging us to plead for forgiveness
so we can hear its sound againÂ
in the year to come,
someone’s lips kissing the shofar again,
taking a deep breath and exhaling
into the horn —
all our hopes and dreams from the past
year, all our hopes and dreamsÂ
for the future —
and the sound will break our hearts againÂ
(and again) as the New Year approaches,Â
and the Day of Judgment comes near,Â
and its blast will pierce our souls as we pleadÂ
with God to grant us another year, to help us
return to our true selves,
and we will sing in rhythm to the blasts
of the shofar, our hearts beating as oneÂ
welcoming another new year.
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