A thought about a friend,
Who shared with me experience,
Resurgence of emotions,
Resulting from past pain.
A line from conversation,
I had a few days prior,
Revisiting a dream,
That woke me up at dawn.
Regrets of past encounters,
Confessions of bad choices,
Successes and sad failures,
Brave actions dipped in dread.
All those and more are fodder,
For poetry and stories,
Unlock the conscience fetters,
Set soul and spirit free.
How do you think we would act,
If we all had possessed a sixth sense,
To read thoughts, honest feelings of others,
In the way they were clearly expressed?
What if trees could uproot themselves wholly,
When they didn’t like where they were set,
And had traveled to new, better pastures,
Any time when they felt that they must?
What if birds could write songs like musicians,
And not only chirp sing them in key,
Would we chart them with others on Billboard,
And play on the top-40s airwaves?
What if people knew love and affection,
Can win hearts more than power and fight,
Of machine guns, armadas, and warplanes,
Over hate, honor, borders, and pride?
What if you knew that I, very often,
Think of you through the moments of day,
And cannot wait until I get chance,
To read to you these words face-to-face.
Can a line convey love, care, true feelings?
Could a poem surmise it quite well?
I will lay it down here, for the ages,
With the hope that it does that with flair.
,בִּצְעִירוּתִי
,הָיִיתִי רָץ קָדִימָה
,בְּאוֹפֶן תָּדִיר
,בְּמִרְדָּף עַצְמִי
,לְהֵחָפֵז, לְהַסְפִּיק, לַעֲשׂוֹת
.לְהַצְלִיחַ
,אוּלָם
,הַהַצְלָחוֹת הָאֲמִיתִּיּוֹת לֹא הוֹפִיעוּ
,עַד שֶׁלֹּא הִשְׂכַלְתִּי
,לְהָאֵט קִמְעָה
,לִמְדוֹד צְעָדַי
,לִלְמוֹד
,לְהִתְכּוֹנֵן
,בְּשִׁיקּוּל דַּעַת
,בִּרְווֹחַת נֶפֶשׁ
,כְּדֵי לִהְיוֹת מְסוּגָּל
,לְהָפִיק מֵעַצְמִי
,וּמִכִּשְׁרוֹנִי
,אֶת הַמֵּיטָב שֶׁנִּיתַּן לִדְלוֹת
.מֵהֶם
In my youth,
I used to run ahead,
Often,
In pursuit of myself,
To hurry, to accomplish, to do.
To succeed.
But,
True successes did not come,
Until I learned,
To slow down a bit,
To measure my steps,
To study,
To prepare,
With reason,
With a peaceful soul,
So as to be able,
To extract from myself,
And from my talent,
The best that can possibly be drawn,
Of them.
A thin smile
Steady breathing,
Eyes narrowing,
In a wandering gaze,
All senses tune in,
Scanning for,
Hidden whispers,
Silent calls,
Emotional frequency waves,
Traveling throughout the universe,
Seeking connection,
Recognition,
Inspiration.
They are out there,
You believe,
You trust,
You know.
Souls like yours,
Transmitting,
Listening for a return echo,
A message,
A sign,
From the other side of the world,
Or from across the room,
To meet and acknowledge,
Engage and embrace,
Your kind.
The big city celebrates its beauty with colorful neon light,
Tall billboards and deafening traffic noise.
Ethnic smells rise from food carts and wall vents on the dark streets,
Swirls in the thick air, competing for attention.
Giant steel worms crawl beneath the heavy streets,
Electric hum roars from their undercarriages,
Emerging from dark tunnels, they stop at lit caged feeding stations,
To emit and swallow back their human prey.
High above, in massive shiny Babylonian towers,
Faceless people look down upon the city through dark-tinted windows.
The hum from below rises steadily through the skyscrapers’ pillars,
Generating tiny ripples in their steamy coffee cups.
If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,
A modern-day survival mantra the city wears with pride.
The bright prominent enclave that forever regenerates,
Continue to embrace you long after you leave.
,בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה רוֹדְפוֹת אוֹתִי תְּחוּשׁוֹת קָשׁוֹת
.שֶׁל פַטָאלִיזְם
,הַגּוּף כּוֹאֵב תַּדִּיר
,כְּמוֹ אָז
.בְּמַהֲלַךְ הַשֵּׁירוּת
,חֲלוֹמוֹת רָעִים שְׁטוּפֵי פַּחַד פּוֹקְדִים שְׁנָתִי
,עַל הַנְהָגָה נֶחְשֶׁלֶת
,אֲנָשִׁים מְסוּכָּנִים
.וְעָתִיד קוֹדֵר
,חֲדָשׁוֹת רָעוֹת רוֹדְפוֹת אַחַת אֶת הַשְּׁנִיּיֹה
,וְאוֹתִי
,אֶת כּוּלָּנוּ
,מִתּוֹךְ הַיּוֹם
.אֶל תּוֹךְ הַלַּיְלָה
,אֲנָשִׁים כְּלוּאִים בַּמַּחְשָׁבוֹת
,בְּתְפִיסוֹת עוֹלָם מְעֻוּוֹתוֹת
,בְּחֶזְיוֹנוֹת הַזוּיִים
,בְּתִקְווֹת שָׁוְוא
.בַּמִּנְהָרוֹת חַנוּקוֹת
,אוֹר הַיּוֹם נוֹתָר אָפֵל גַּם כְּשֶׁהַשַּׁמָּשׁ זוֹרַחַת מִמַעָל
.בְּחֶשְׁכַת הַהֹוֶוה הַמַּכְבִּיד
,מֶרְחָב הָאֶפְשָׁרוּיּוֹת הַאִישִׁי מִצְטַמְצֵם
,הַפִּינּוֹת מִתְעַגְּלוֹת
.וְהַדְּרָכִים נֶחְסַמוֹת
.אֵין לְאָן לִבְרוֹחַ
,נִשְׁאַרְנוּ עִם הַמִּלְחָמָה
,שֶׁאַף שֶׁנִּרְאָה כְּאִילּוּ זֶה אַךְ פָּרְצָה
,אֲנַחְנוּ מִשְׁתַּתְּפִים בָּהּ כְּבַר יוֹבְלוֹת
.כִּי לַנֶּצַח תֹּאכַל
These days, I am haunted by hard feelings,
of fatalism.
My body often aches,
As it did then,
During the service.
Bad dreams awash with fear haunt my sleep,
About weak leadership,
Dangerous people,
And a gloomy future.
Bad news chase one another,
And me,
All of us,
From the day,
Into the night.
People are trapped in thoughts,
In distorted worldviews,
In delusional visions,
In false hopes,
In choked tunnels.
Daylight remains dark even when the sun shines above,
In the darkness of the imposing presence.
The breadth of personal possibilities narrows,
The corners are rounded,
And the paths are blocked.
There is nowhere to escape.
We remain with the war,
That even though it seems as if it haג just broken out,
We have been participating in it for decades,
Because devour forever
,
מִלְחָמוֹת טוֹבוֹת פּוֹרְצוֹת בַּקַּיִץ
,אֵין זְמַן נוֹחַ וְנִפְלָא מִזֶּה לְצֵאת בּוֹ לַקְּרָבוֹת
,חָם בַּחוּץ וְלֹא צָרִיךְ לִזְכֹּר לָקַחַת סְוֶדֶר
.הַדְּרָכִים בְּרוּרוֹת לָעַיִן וְלֹא שׁוֹקְעִים בַּבּוֹץ
,בֵּין מַטָּח תַּקִּיפָה אֶחָד וּשְׁנַיִים אֶפְשָׁר לִתְפּוֹס קְצָת שֶׁמֶשׁ
,מִצְטַלְּמִים בַּנּוֹף עַל הַכֵּלִים, עָדִיף עִם קְצָת עָשָׁן בָּרֶקַע
,שְׂדוֹת כַּלָּנִיּוֹת בְּעֵמֶק, שְׂדֵרָה שֶׁל אֶקָלִיפְּטוּסִים מוֹרִיקָה עַל רֶכֶס
.לַהֲקוֹת שֶׁל צִפּוֹרִים נוֹדְדוֹת דָּרוֹמָה, בֵּין גִּיחוֹת תְּקִיפָה וּמַטְּחֵי טִילִים
,עַמּוּדַי עָשָׁן בָּאֹפֶק מַצְבִּיעִים עַל הַצְלָחוֹת
,כָּאן הִשְׁמַדְנוּ בּוּנְקֶר שֶׁל תַּחְמוֹשֶׁת וְשָׁם מָחַצְנוּ מִפְקָדָה
,הָאֵפוֹד מֵצִיק בָּעֹרֶף וְהַהֶדֶק בִּקְצוֹת הָאֶצְבָּעוֹת
.בַּעֲצִירָה הַבָּאָה נִתְקַשֵּׁר הַבַּיְתָה לְעַדְכֵּן אֶת הָאִשָּׁה
,מֶזֶג הָאֲוִיר מֵיטִיב וְכֹל פְּקוּדַּת מִבְצָע יוֹצֵאת לַפּוֹעַל
,הָאוֹיֵב נִרְאָה כָּנוּעַ דֶּרֶךְ מִשְׁקָפוֹת
,מַהֲלָךְ לְכָאן, אִגּוּף לְשָׁם וְעוֹד מַכָּה מוֹחֶצֶת
.גַּם אֵת הַמִּלְחָמָה הַזּוֹ נְנַצֵּחַ לְלֹא כֹּל אֲבֵדוֹת
Good wars break out in the summer,
There is no more convenient and wonderful time than this to go into battles,
It’s hot outside, and you don’t need to remember to take a sweater,
The roads are clear to sight, and there is no sinking into the mud.
Between one or two assault volleys, you can catch some sun,
Taking pictures with the scenery on the armored vehicles, preferably with some smoke in the background,
Anemone fields in the valley, an avenue of eucalyptus greens on a ridge,
Flocks of birds migrate south, amid assault sorties and missile barrages.
Pillars of smoke on the horizon point to successes,
Here, we destroyed an ammunition bunker, and there we leveled a headquarters,
The tactical vest hurts the back of the neck and the trigger at the fingertips,
At the next stop, we will call home to update the wife.
The weather is favorable, and every operational order is carried out,
The enemy looks defeated through binoculars,
A move here, a flanking there, and another crushing blow,
This war, also, we shall win without any losses.
The thundering falls like an ancient beast,
As they have been since the dawn of time.
Brave seagulls dive into the white mist,
Defying its dangerous, overbearing presence.
Awestruck spectators stand about the might,
Exert modern technology to capture this wonder of creation.
Two girls and a boy stroll among them,
Their feet frail from days of dancing.
They negotiate the puddled observation boardwalk,
In a slow pace of lively conversation.
A billion water droplets separate the sun’s rays,
Into a magnificent arch of colors,
That connects both sides of the river,
A bridge of beauty and hope for the coming days,
Of an uncertain, worrisome future for the trio,
Who soon will again be separated by distant borders,
Yet remain united in a love of craft and spiritual conversation.
The rainbow disappears,
The blue skies usher the three uphill,
As they continue toward their next challenge.
,בְּבוֹקֶר לֶכְתֵּךְ יָצָאנוּ לְלָווֹתֵך
.בְּדַרְכֵּךְ הָאַחֲרוֹנָה
,כְּנָפַיִים רוֹעֲמוֹת הִשִׂיאוּנוּ קָדִימָה
.מַחְשָׁבוֹת נוּגוֹת נִשְׂרֶכוּ מֵאֲחוֹרֵינוּ
,בְּחָנַיֲית הַבֵּינַיִים יָצָאנוּ אֶל אוּלָם מֶקָבְּלֵי הַפָּנִים
,אֶת כְּבַר לֹא תַּמְתִּינִי לָנוּ שָׁם בִּנְמַל הַבַּיִת
,מְחַכָּה בְּקוֹצֶר רוּחַ לְהוֹפָעָתֵנוּ
מִבָּעַד לַדְּלָתוֹת הַלּוֹחֲשׁוֹת.
,בַּבִּיקּוּר הָאַחֲרוֹן כְּבָר יָדַעְנוּ
.שֶׁהַזְּמַן אוֹזֵל
,סִימָנֵי הַמַּחֲלָה נִיכְּרוּ בָּךְ
,אֲבָל הָיִיתָ עַלִּיזָה, חֲזָקָה, שְׁלֵווֹה
.כְּתָמִיד
,בְּכוֹל פְּרִידָה לוֹחֵשׁ הַמָּוֶות
.לִפְעָמִים מְעַט יוֹתֵר חָזָק
.לְמָחֳרָת בּוֹאֵנוּ לִוִינוּ אוֹתָךְ לִמְנוּחַת עוֹלָמִים
,מִילִּים טוֹבוֹת נִישְּׂאוּ
.דְּמָעוֹת חַמּוֹת יָרְדוּ
,נִפְרַדְנוּ מִמֵּךְ בְּחִיבּוּק שֶׁבּוֹ הָיִית חֲסֵרָה
.מְאֹד
,צָעַדְנוּ לְאַט מִבֵּית הַקְּבָרוֹת הַיָּפֶה
.אֶל עָתִיד חָדָשׁ
,הַמָּוֶות מוֹחֵק בְּאַחַת אֵת הַזִּיקְנָה
,וּמוֹתִיר מֵאָחוֹר חַיִּים שְׁלֵמִים שֶׁל זִיכְרוֹנוֹת
,מוֹרֶשֶׁת
.וַהֲמוֹן גַּעְגּוּעִים
,אֶת כָּאן בֵּינֵינוּ כָּרָגִיל
.הַשִּׂיחוֹת יִלְבְּשׁוּ כָּעֵת מֵימַד חָדָשׁ
,לֹא נוּכַל לְחַלֵּק אִיתָּךְ תְּמוּנוֹת, סִיפּוּרִים, אוֹ חֲווֹיוֹת
.אֲבָל תּוּכְלִי בְּוַודַּאי לִרְאוֹת מִשָּׁם בְּעַצְמֵךְ
On the morning of your passing, we went on our way to accompany you,
On your last journey.
Thundering wings soared us forward,
Sad thoughts trailed behind us.
During the layover stop, we exited into the arrivals hall,
You will no longer wait for us at the home airport,
Anxiously awaiting our appearance,
Through the whispering doors.
On the last visit, we already knew,
That time is running out.
The signs of the illness were evident in you,
But you were cheerful, strong, peaceful,
As always
Every parting contains a whisper of death,
Sometimes, it’s a little bit stronger.
The day after our arrival we accompanied you to final rest.
Good words were spoken,
Warm tears shed.
We parted from you with a hug from which you were missing,
Very much.
We walked away from the beautiful cemetery,
To a new future.
Death erases old age at once,
And leaves behind a lifetime of memories,
Legacy,
And a lot of longings.
You are here among us as usual,
The conversations will now take on a new dimension.
We will not be able to share pictures, stories, or experiences with you,
But you could certainly see from there by yourself.
First name, last name,