Friday, August 7, 2009

Poem from the Wilderness

I've been thinking about that Torah portion we read in the group the other day. When I went out to sit in the dark at Red Rock, here's what emerged. It's also relevant to say that the workshop leader, Thea Gavin, told us this before we started: "We're going north at the rate of 1-2" a year; soon we'll be in Alaska if we sit here long enough."

Tzimtzum
A girdle of red rocks rings me round,
cloud by day, and fire by night,
they swell and shift in the fading light.
Just under a jigsaw edge of sky,
the full moon ripens, prepares to rise,
carving the dark with its golden knife.
Is there room for me in the tent of night?
The sullen sky spills it sack full of stars,
as if to say, "Better stay where you are."

4 comments:

Lou said...

Beautiful images, truly!!

Robbi N. said...

Thanks Lou. I've been tinkering with it all day, especially the ending.

Robin said...

A really lovely little piece! I hope you include it in your upcoming book1

Robbi N. said...

Thanks Robin. I have changed two things, per Richard's comments: the "golden knife" became copper. And "The sky" became "a sky."