Sitting at the family Seder
I look around
Liking the people
Some my cousins
Some folks I've never seen before
Sharing the paschal lamb
As we are bid in the bible
Telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt
I am obliged to drink four cups of wine
A ritual I'll gladly follow
Perhaps adding in a couple more
Then as the People of the Book
With our reputation on the line
We begin discussing
Flexing our intellects
Flying free from the rigors of observance
We speak of this and that
Mostly Jewish topics
Allegedly relevant to Passover
The holocaust
And where was the God who
Brought us forth from Egypt
Rained plagues upon our oppressors
Parted the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh's legions
But even still
The Six Million died at the hands of the Nazis
The wise Seder pundits offer no answer
And I think we should be praying
Practicing our rituals
Upholding our traditions
Following the Haggadah
Our road map
The book that
Prescribes the order of the Seder
Prompts us when to break the matzah
Open the door for Elijah
Eat sweet charoset mixed with bitter herbs
And when to drink the wine
Because my old aunt died today
My mother's sister
She nearly made 95
My bitter herbs came early
Already dipped in salt water
I do not need to debate
Hate
Anti semitism
Zionism
Palestine
I do need prayer
Friendly conversation
A holiday meal
A bit of ritual structure
And the third and fourth glass of wine
Now
©kcasady2014
No comments:
Post a Comment