Breathing Inspiration

Afikomen

Everything depends upon

a box of kosher for Passover matzoh.

Generally speaking, you will find

at least six slices of matzoh in a box;

this is the lowest common denominator,

enough for two seders,

because three matzoth per seder

will provide for the custom:

top, middle, and bottom

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

the kohanim, Levites, and Yisrael.

And, why do we break

the middle piece of matzoh?

Because, as Tevye would say,

this is our tradition.

The surrounding countryside of Kiev, and other cities, such as Lviv, and even my own ancestral hometown, Bolekhiv, are quiet in the night, while the Russians prepare their next attempts to maneuver their positions, to be in alignment with their next forward march into the fray. By now, they know that they will continue to meet with resistance from the Ukrainian defenders. These are not nationalists, like the propaganda espoused by the Putin regime would have it known; rather, these are loyal citizens of a country that has been trying to gain its complete freedom for decades. True, it was Ukrainian nationalists in the midst of WW2, who were no friends of the Jewish population in Bolechov, Poland in 1939, when the Soviets retreated. However, the current generation of Ukrainians are not responsible for the sins of their ancestors.

After WW2, my ancestral hometown fell in under the new lines of demarcation, designating the city as Bolekhiv in the newly established boundaries of Soviet Ukraine. And, now, 58 years later, and, incidentally, fifty-eight miles south of Lviv, I wonder how far the smoldering torches of war have receded, or perhaps impeded upon the place where the graves of my ancestors rest. Of course, most of them, were actually buried in either one of two mass graves. The first, 7 km outside of Bolechov (now, Bolekhiv) in the Tanaiwa forest. The other, hastily made grave in the actual cemetery. This cemetery is the best preserved Jewish cemetery in Europe. I have always wanted to visit, since I “found” my ancestors through genealogical research. And, now, How am I to do so? Ultimately, if am able to do so in the future, will I be entering an independent Ukraine, or Soviet-controlled Ukraine?

My ancestors souls,

transcend earthly boundaries,

knowing only peace.

dverse prompt

Hidden Lives

From deep within a heart of stone,

lies the essence of a kernel, soon to bloom.

Behind these stony faces, tears run dry,

emotions hidden inside the outer shell,

where hope mixes with fear, and a suppressed cry.

The seedling will soon sprout,

when watered by tears of joy;

then, this plant will blossom in the sunshine,

of a new day, when faith reigns,

in the hearts of once lifeless ruins.

The stones from where the seedlings thrived,

will break away to reveal what was hidden inside –

people stepping out from beneath the earth,

to greet the sunrise with all that they are worth.

No more concealed in the basements below;

now, blessed to watch the sun’s glow.

prompt: the sunday muse

Let Faith Reign

When society is upended,

and people are tormented,

take heart in your faith,

don’t let your soul go to waste;

there will be an opportunity

to fly into the wind.

Let faith reign in your heart,

don’t pretend to play the part,

when the mind is sincere,

and the pathway is clear,

there will be a sunrise on the horizon

lighting up a brand new day.

Let’s dare not be hesitant,

when the chance prevails,

to take that first step into the light,

the door will be wide open,

for your tired soul that appears to be broken,

yet, will find renewal on the journey

to a safe haven.

Heaven Awaits Us

Living in the belly of the beast,

rising up from the vacant grave,

reaching towards the light from the East,

an angel from Heaven appears,

with a mission to save.

Crying out from a land of tears,

dying to ourselves every day,

casting away all of our fears,

gaining ground over the years,

as the enemy retreats the other way.

—– —– —–

Opening up to the possibility,

of hope becoming permanently ingrained,

indelible as ink, on a deed of civility,

or the silver lining of a cloud,

that is translucent with sunbeams.

The sunflowers in the land of the living,

sway in tune with a heavenly chorus of angels,

and a myriad of people singing

the refrain of the song of Moses,

shining like golden bells.

Love Conquers All

All of the firebrands that you have thrown at us,

have been deflected, landed in fertile soil, and,

transformed into pillars of truth to guide our lives.

The blazing torches of lies, brandished in our faces,

have been quenched by the streams of sanctity,

and extinguished by waters from the well of salvation.

We have been inoculated against future deception,

and strengthened against the cunning of the Great Deceiver.

We have regained our sanity within a world of chaos.

We put one foot forward each and every day,

on the road towards freedom from the wreckage,

of the past, our country under duress

at the hands of our arch nemesis.

When the light appeared, our bonds were loosened,

our nightmares diminished, and new horizons emerged.

Carried away upon the wings of eagles to new vistas,

we have tread upon the tail of the serpent,

and danced amongst our people reborn.

Beyond Oblivion

At the sound of the shofar,

we will respond to the call,

“Prepare the way for the King.”

The masquerade will be over,

when darkness will no longer fall

upon the face of the earth.

At the beginning of dawn,

when the first light will appear

on the new horizon,

we will be given vision and insight,

to see beyond the mirror of self,

into the eyes of the divine.

dverse prompt

Tears

Each teardrop from Shomayim,

splashes into the reservoir of dreams,

ripples out in concentric circles,

across the dismayed nations,

into the hearts of mankind.

Our tears are His, pouring through us,

enabling us to retain our own sense of humanity;

for without tears, there are only stifled emotions,

wherein pain endures, unless expressed in words.

—– —– —– —– —– —–

I shall not refrain from writing,

nor from dwelling on what is uniquely tragic,

as long as my sense of compassion outweighs

any negative feelings that may arise,

in response to this burden, that I bear.

Such is our faithfulness towards G-d as well –

that He will bestow upon us a measure of faith,

commensurate with our ability to serve Him.

Butterflies

Amongst the fields of sunflowers,

dreaming in the winds of change,

butterflies roam, partaking of the nectar.

Sweet dreams interrupted by a shift

in the pleasant breezes,

accompanied by dark clouds.

Nectar runs dry, and petals wilt,

as the resting places

of the fragile two-winged creatures,

disappear from the fields.

How many Ukrainian refugees,

who have taken flight,

from the devastation,

will be blessed with a new beginning,

in faraway places, where safety resides,

miles away from their homes?

—– —– —– —–

My ancestors, with prescient insight,

migrated across the Atlantic Ocean,

before the flames of the Shoah

engulfed Bolechov, and took the lives

of those who remained in the shtetl.

Ghosts of the past cry out,

Release me, into the wind,

so that our memories

will not be forgotten.

Past Memories, Current Events

My heart is overflowing,

teeming with complex emotions,

and my pen, figuratively speaking,

is writing (typing out) words again,

in response to the internal reservoir,

of all that remains to be said.

My muse? Ineffable, for He Knows all,

and is above and beyond all muses.

So, redeemed, is each word that I reckon,

as not my own, rather, from deep within,

a pool of reflection, tinged with a conscience,

and a consciousness, stemming

from the part of mankind’s soul,

that is connected to the Divine.

Additionally, I do not even know

how I can factor into the equation,

that Bolekhiv, my ancestral hometown,

is fifty-eight miles south of Lviv,

where several dozen of my relatives

were buried in mass graves,

during the Shoah.