TIKKUN
The horror
the calamity
the disgrace,
the rubble of folly
and religion's stupidities,
the dimness of vision
and violence of despair
won't be repaired by an officer,
a bomb or a plane,
and not by still more blood.
Only wisdom of the heart could mend it
only the surgeon, the doctor,
the good teacher, the teachers
the medic—an Arab, a Jew—
only the quiet traveler
riding a bicycle,
someone carrying a sandwich
and walking along a street,
someone opening their eyes,
someone who speaks with compassion,
someone listening
something learning and wise
someone waiting and thinking
someone guiding someone
down a path of kindness, affection,
the painter, the poet,
disciples of peace—
only the gardeners of peace.
“In ’Tikkun,’ a poem written three days after the October 7 massacre, as Israel began bombing Gaza while preparing its troops for invasion, there is a sense of fatality, regret, and great compassion: ‘Only wisdom of the heart could mend it/only the surgeon, the doctor,/the good teacher, the teachers/the medic — an Arab, a Jew — /only the quiet traveler/riding a bicycle …’ . This catalog of ordinary grace — the medic, the teacher, the traveler on a bicycle — offers small gestures of humanity against burgeoning destruction. Requiem offers a different perspective not just on the conflict but also on the world we live in today. The collection stands as both elegy and testament, both gentle and devastating.”— Joanna Chen, The Jewish Book Council
Published