One last contraction,
push.
Flood back into Asiyah Gashmi,
undeniable as the fast-rising sea,
weep for each Rachel and Sara,
every Yocheved, Rivkah and Leah.
Bear witness to their histories’ trajectories;
Their disappearance from
between the sofer’s lettering,
and when.
Let righteous tears stream unfettered,
wetness tracing the web of
inextricable interconnectedness
that zigzags in fantastical switchbacks,
circumnavigating our famously forgiving
heart of a planet.
You are more
than womb,
more than nurturance,
more than breast,
more than sustenance,
more than context.
You are earth, sky,
and all that resides in between,
blood, fire and breath,
aleph,
shin,
mem,
elemental,
manna from heaven,
the mysterious depths,
shefa,
the generous permission of tzimtzum,
no less than a miraculous act.
One last contraction,
push.
***
Poem #11 in the Priestess Path Cycle / Kohenet Netivot Sidrah.
***
With thanks to Rav Kohanot Jill Hammer and Taya Ma for The Hebrew Priestess
***
Photo: “A Little Story” by Abhijit Kar Gupta
