Dad (Thoughts on
Roshashana 2011)
When he had nothing
to lose
He was a man among
men
When the tears were
streaming
And the family
screaming
He grabbed his sister
from the burning wind
And touched the souls
of the ones around him
He felt guilty when
the war broke- friends going there
Thought they were not
thinking the best
‘Wondering if hes
seeking a deferment from the Holocaust?’
He was caring for his
sister
Struck with the polio
knife
So in a sense, he was
content,
To go to the death fields
Get rid of the guilt
Sailed to the Seas
Of the Philippines
He carried mortar but
not the cement
And the sights that
were there
He could never forget
That battlefield hell
But gained a certain
focus
And understanding as
well
That you can’t think
of death
When its hand is near
On returning, he was
sick
Bitten with the
malaria tick
He recovered so fast
it was truly amazing
Married, children and
a home
Grandchildren and
many friends
He cared for them all
as best as he could
Respected in our neighborhood
Some 69 years passed
when he succumbed to a heart
That was strong on
the outside
But inside couldn’t
start
An organ gone crazy
Looking for peace
So what is his life
to me?
As I go to the temple
To chant an ancient
decree
Sitting with mourners
And standing with
angels
As depression wanes
and waxes
My thoughts are
clearer with each day
He had his
faults
He had his moments
He’s at peace now
with them all
Those last few months
Are clearer then
years
He taught me humility
in that little time
Taught me to cheer
for the slightest rebound
To suffer pain but to
be proud
To laugh when I could
And try to learn
He wasn’t religious
At least that’s what
was said
But he was raised
almost Orthodox
A strange bed
He said he thought
G-d
Was in Nature
Kind of hard to argue
with that
So the wind blows
Warm sometimes cold
We all grow old
A lesson to be
learned?
Maybe not now
But my Dad
In my heart, he will
remain
A towering force
Of an ethical man
And a smile
A healing smile
For all
