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  Jun 2017 betterdays
Nat Lipstadt
A Hebrew Prayer from the Sabbath Morning Service



THESE ARE THINGS that are limitless,
of which a person enjoys the fruit of the world,
while the principal remains in the world to come.

They are:

honoring one’s father and mother,
engaging in deeds of compassion,
arriving early for study, morning and evening,
dealing graciously with guests,                                                       
visiting the sick,                                                            ­                  
providing for the wedding couple,
accompanying the dead for burial,
being devoted in prayer,
and making peace among people.

But the study of Torah^ encompasses them all.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I briefly considered editing, adding to, rephrasing this translation.
But reconsidered almost immediately, and instead wrote this down.
*Among the things that are limitless perfect is this prayer.
^ the study of Torah (meaning here,  the totality of Jewish teaching, culture and practice)  offers the knowledge of what is right and how to live justly. Jewish study includes the expectation that the lessons will be applied to life.

San Francisco
betterdays Jun 2017
tag
in the cold puddles
concentric rings play tag
with the sky flannelled in
shades of grey, soft from
the wind and granite from
the anger of shouted thunder
arguments, the tree's shake
losing what little cover
they have left and stand
stark naked and dripping
on the muddy floor.
the river flows high and
unchecked vomiting brown
bile and wreckage out into
the sea, only for it to become
a puzzle of detrius on the beaches edge
leaving junkheaps and carcasses for
treasure hunters to find....
and still the puddles play
tag with the cold and weeping sky
betterdays Jun 2017
you mumured love
into my ear,
that made me glow

those words made a home
as they echoed in my my mind
they painted walls a warm blue
carpeted in a lovely angora white
moved in chairs, tables and
a big feather bed
those words warm and encouraging
had a family, that follwed them about
like little fluffy ducklings, bring a smile
to my face

they expanded their homstead
to make my heart large and welcoming
and those duckling words grew up
and flew from the home in my heart
out into the world, to give love

you mumured love into my ear
and the whole world changed..
betterdays Jun 2017
this day
we come together
we congregate
we stand together
from different nations
we gather, in this place
to mourn, to weep
to say, to pray for no more
no more the innocent.....
we this congregation
made from different
colours, different races
different religions and creeds
stand in quiet hope and grace
trying together to put in place
an understanding, that leaves
no man, woman  or child
thinking that the death
of another person,
is a valid way to make
a political or religious statement

we stand together and weep
and pray for all those who have
become or have been made pawns
to this style of rhetoric...
the university I work at held a memorial service for those lost or harmed in recent terror attacks...
betterdays May 2017
caught between the dust motes
spinning lazily in the sun's rays
is that moment of time
that we all wish we could
have time again.....
                         ....and again
  May 2017 betterdays
Where Shelter
~
took and tucked her in my pocket



a rare Monday holiday, and whomever, undoubtedly
an impractical man-someone, (always our fault),
decided to dampen the lawn and the entire countryside with a steady, not drizzle and not rain, something in between, and a dolloping, artisanal, organic, grey creme fraiche fog that
permits hinted glimpses of sea and land, home from away

a perfect day to finish that overdue library book,
and the deletion of unanswered email notices of your ever increasing criminal status,
both a delicioso rainy day, deep dish pizza pleasuring

or
go for a "walk and talk" in the rain with oneself,
properly attired, naturally, in a yellow slicker and silly hat,
(a perfect car target)
observing how the bay gets refilled, and the elm and the oak
drink themselves tipsy on an all-day-grey goose ******,
all the while looking for side-of-road weedy, wordy poems
that will look nice in a vase day or on a colorful plate from
Saint Paul de Vence


more a "walk and compose" insists the brain,
denying the legs and feet the full advanced three credits,
for providing nothing more than cerebral transportation,
poor brain, inferiority complexion, thinking the female does all the truly heavy duty thinking stuff and of her,
nobody ever thinks or kisses!

so I took and tucked her in my pocket,
(your brain's gender contrarian to one's lower physical gifts),
and poem-picking, away we went, to wet sand beaches
looking for shells, bones, forgot plastic buckets and shovels,
i.e. articles of inspiration incorporation composting composition

just me and she for the other 'her' chose to curl,
herself upon her spot under the always shedding blanket,
watching Richard or Henry or one of the Mary's plotting,
on what we agree must be a perfectly British style
spy's rainy day, or an Agatha ****** mystery
or a visit to the Towers

a little pause between showers, the seeding clouds,
catching a breath, allows the birds to exchange trees
in what appears to man as suicide by diving musical chairs,
while the seagulls oink, "perhaps a cucumber fish sandwich with a nice hot cuppa?"

alas, alas, only flowers that must perforce remain unpicked,
here and there a solitary dorming daisy uprising,
from cracked concrete protruding, but nary a poem of somber consequence found

so to home and hearth and some telly,
me and she, where upon arrival
took and untucked her from my pocket,
my empty poem pocketed persona somewhat mocked
by she who regales splendiferously on her couch throne

our composure discomposed and discombobulated and wet,
instead wrote this trip report and submitted it to the teach
as a homework assignment

5/29/17 8:00am precisely,
upon the where shelter isle
for the overdue book keeper, daughter of the recliner, story teller, sister,
mother to cat, babes (including one that shaves), patron
of empty student minds,
one homework assignment submitted
betterdays May 2017
one leaf
sits upon
the ground
blown here
from afar,
as it is lies in
the deep
darkness
of the
concrete jungle
there are
no trees
nearby
just
this leaf
dusky green
smooth and waxy
to the touch
and smelling
of the weekend
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