Topic Tags: ancestors

“Born 1898 / Nana slept in the second, narrow bed in my room.”

“This is how memory becomes a seed– / not buried, / but planted.”

“I ignite a match and think of our ancestors / as though they were just upstairs…” 

“May we be better ancestors than descendants, / writing a blueprint for a better future than we inherited.”

“So I studied my family’s history her story / create joy in her holy days…”

“When this righteous anger rises, grant us the wisdom to use this passion with love…”

I reach to you, stumbling // on stones, on translations.

I saw their names in our tree, but never // looked further. As a child, I knew // a few of them, but only a few.

“Let the cry of the shofar pierce our hearts and remind us of what we must do, together…”

“Wavering candlelight / illuminates our lament…”