Elul Poetry 5784, Part 1

1. Arrogance / Azut

what hubristic neuroses

did we develop

to convince ourselves

to convince others

we could ever understand it all

—

2. Anger / Ka’as

rage lives in me

coiled, shuddering

not missed or wanted

but i can’t abandon it

.

rage sits in me

white hot, painfully cold

at odds and clashing

ready to lash out

.

rage talks to me

in a language unknown

but well understood

as it is misunderstood

—

3. Attentive Listening / Shmiat HaOzen

we care

more

than we want

to admit

—

4. Awe of God / Yirat Hashem

there is so much to the world

overwhelming in every view

and in every touch

to be alive at all —

it’s too much

to comprehend

—

5. Careful Speech / Shmirat HaLashon

why would you speak

in bad faith

when you couldn’t

be honest

with yourself?

—

6. Compassion / Rachamim

how embarrassing

to show compassion

understanding

to total strangers

yet you treat yourself

only with

harshness

judgement

as if compassion

is and unknown concept

—

7. Contentedness / Histapkut

i think

for once

i feel contentment

and i don’t know

how to feel about it

—

8. Cruelty / Achz’riyut

i know i am soft

for it don’t understand

and i cry and rage

frustrated, devastated

at the cruelty

people choose to nourish

and i will cry and rage

to exhaustion

so i try not to dwell,

attention moved

to doing right by others

the best i can

—————

The entire point is to take stock of and confront the self. Even if it’s ugly. The writing is not pretty or polished, but we are not necessarily pretty or polished. But we can make something nice out of it. There is no reason to remain in a place and space not suited for us or good for us — or we might not be good for.

Thank you for reading. All support is appreciated.