Synopsis

Unlike most of my other long poems, this is not a single narrative, but rather, pieces of many narratives and illuminated moments. In this poem I speak, for the first time, in an uninhibitedly Jewish voice, and try to take advantage of the vast and wondrous body of Jewish literature that began with the writing of the Torah, some 3000 years ago, or more.

I have divided the original manuscript into 3 parts, based on some general themes that are woven through it.

In Book 1, Voisez the Garen Tzeyone I present voices of the Jewish struggle for survival and spiritual leadership. The title, perhaps, deserves a brief explanation. “Tseyone” is the transliteration of the Hebrew word that has morphed into English as “Zion.” In these poems I try to define a Judaism that is not afraid to assert its place of eminence among the nations. Therefore, I speak unabashedly that Jews are the world’s Priesthood; that the modern nation of Israel, all of it, is our new Temple; and that the Shoah, the Holocaust, was a pagan destruction of the Temple of Europe and a war against God, via the Jewish people.

In Book 2, Lawz Divvine and Hewman I explore how the Divine Texts have shaped and reshaped the way we see reality. Torah, particularly, is a lens through which Western (and to a lesser extent, Islamic) culture has projected and interpreted itself. Often that lens is used to construct a counter-image or a negative image. For example in Midrash Tzav II I represent the nazi-pagan death cult as a desecrating reversal of one of ancient Israel’s Temple rituals.

In Book 3, The Yeshevah with Reb Yosess deals with the pursuit of knowledge, and my experiences among the many amazing people I have known, especially the great sages of Victoria. Rabbi Yosee (spelled Yosi or Jose in most texts) was a sage of the early Talmudic period. He came to me in some dreams in the early phases of this book, and this helped inspire me to accelerate my studies of Jewish texts.

Excerpts

In The Yeshevah With Reb Yosee

I will wake frum this dreemen
This impossibbel Deth Song,
Hummd in the vallee ov the shaddo ov Life,
Frum morning a breez she iz mermeren Kuddish,
Tu the Kuddish a mokkingberd reternen at dusk.

Here in this dellakkat wume
Holloed owt frum the soft kervz
Ov lite that iz shape owwer owter spasez
And owwer inner Moment ov Divvine Being
Here we ar kum
With dreem poring frum a braken vessel.
[from: Tu Pull Bak A Holee Kerten]

Lawz Divvine and Hewman

In Yerueshalliyimz sinnaggogz the Sajez ar bent
Over parchmen skroelz, rekording theze events.
Behiend them, soft chanting, the salmz ov sorro
And the salmz tu redeemen, the vois ov Yisroyel:

"6 dekkade sins the paganz ov Ewrope broke owt
" On the land, a wor aggenst the Preesthoud ov God.
" Thaer ruwen, thaer shame thay hav kleen forgot,
"And aggen thay revert tu thaer pagan hart."

[from: Volkeree, Retern!]

Voisez the Garden Tzeyone

I saw a wouman rapt in her praer shawl
Leening aggens a wall, werd mermerz.
The shaddo frum her eyz astreek her fase,
A streemen ov teerz, a vort ov praerz.
Between her and the Divvine Prezzens
Oenlee a silk shawl separaten.

I saw a man hu haz lern wun thing:
If he kloke hiz Soel, he kan hide frum the Prezzen.
He kan hide in the Prezzen, and justis will be bliend.
Kloekt in the vaelz ov Ertha he travvael,
Exxempt frum reproof, vale uppon vaelz.
[from: Drawing a Kerten]