I’ve tired of this place. The days are short,
the nights are cold, I’m cold
all night and daytime too.
It didn’t used to be this way. Months ago
the skies were warm with
promise and the sun beat stronger than
it ever did in New York, beat down on me to match
the rate of my own heart.
I don’t know what happened. I don’t know
when things turned cold. I know
that the sun is the heart of Jerusalem;
in winter I exist on defibrillation.
Jerusalemites don’t know how to deal
with winter. They close the roads for two inches of snow.
I don’t know how to deal with this cold
light that burns instead of warms,
this "they" and "I" that have lodged themselves
in my throat.
Winter turns the buildings
rat gray, the color of New York
snow. I miss the summer sun that cast
the stone to gold.
I miss the thought that Jerusalem is home.
4 comments:
My parents and sister's family are going to be in Israel for January break and they asked our family to come too. My dad even offfered to pay for accomodations. And you know what, even though it's been 7 years since I last stood on Jerusalem's holy ground, we turned it down - honestly, who wants to make the first trip there be the rainsoaked, cold to the bone days of January? I love Israel in summer. I love the searing heat and the 2 liter of water requirement. So I'm totally with you on that one.
elster thats so sad!
i mean, dont get me wrong- jerusalem is no fun in the winter, especially since i left my rainboots at home in the US. (im doing a stint in jeru, in case that was not apparent) but 7 yrs- thats a long time! well, i hope you and the fam get to come in the summer then...
Amen - there was a time where I was going every six months or so for a few years running. Life has a way of interviening on everything. I hope ypou don't mind that I've been stalking you here/
dont mind at all. its always fun to see comments. i post stuff here bc i dont have a printer, i have to go to an internet cafe to print, so instead of emailing myself i just cut and paste from here.
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