Yom Hashoah

[lagilman]

the hidden child



summer turns to fall
you may not acknowledge it --
no New Year for you.
The sins of hurtfulness, pride, inconsiderateness, are washed from you
by the prayers of others;
you are mute.

(the tramp tramp tramp of feet haunt your dreams
The soft slippered step sounds dire as the boot)

some day, distant day
you will hear shalom alechem
and be able to say, in return, alechem shalom.


© 2005 Laura Anne Gilman


(from a title suggested by a post on sff.net, and written in immediate reaction. It began as haiku but developed a mind [and structure] of its own. I suspect this is only the tip of the poem, but not sure where it will take me, yet...)

Comments

[debg.livejournal.com]

That's gorgeous, and it has almost the feel of part of a cycle; less the beginning of a single poem than one segement of a storyteller's piece.

[deire.livejournal.com]

I like it.

[wood-dragon.livejournal.com]

Lovely. Thank you for sharing that. (May I ask what "shalom alechem" means?)

[lagilman]

it's a traditional greeting between Jews, translated loosely as "may peace be with you" or "go in peace."

[lagilman]

That's almost what I'm afraid of...

[lagilman]

Interestingly enough, the Arabic greeting is almost identical. There is no warfare so violent as that between siblings. *sigh*

[debg.livejournal.com]

Heh. Don't you hate it when that happens...?

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I like it.

But I agree, it does not feel complete. The mood swings between the segments are so sudden, and intense...

It feels like the section of an arch.

You have work ahead, builder!

[wood-dragon.livejournal.com]

Ah. I thought Shalom meant peace but had no idea about the other word. Thanks.