Jerusalem Stories

The Hoopoe’s Call(Harken!)He heard a call from the branches of a treeSomewhere in the woods along the path he walked,Stick in hand to steady his stepsLike a shepherd’s staff.But where?He looked around to seeWho or what had made that call,Almost child-like, but not quite.(Come!)It called again.He squinted his eyes toward the dappling shadowsThe trees made with their leaves and branches,Searching tree by tree for something...

 From Jerusalem to Bethlehem (Raanana, February 13, 2018) Panthers lick the wild berries by the sea at dusk Soon the moon will rise and dreaming eyes will close, My hands' blind predilection for touching shapes Prefer their coolness to their colors. It's a time when God turns away from us And spirits deafen themselves to our supplications, When all the views of Jerusalem come together as one, Where stone lions stop to sni...

"City of Peace" (Raanana, January 12, 2018) On days like these with a high-noon sun Shining on a little courtyard, The bougainvillea silent for lack of breeze, I wonder whether David, the shepherd king, Considered the possibility I'd be sitting here Sipping from a cup of coffee, daydreaming Of his pasture not so far from me And lambs long gone, their progeny roaming The barren hills of Ein Gedi And his dreams of a city of...