Jewish poetry: the legacy continues

By Eileen Wingard

Eileen Wingard
Eileen Wingard

LA JOLLA, California — The season’s final Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices program will take place Tuesday evening, 7:00 p.m. , May 6, in the Astor Judaica Library, Lawrence Family JCC.

The featured poets are all published writers. Lee Ben Yehuda has several books of poetry to her credit. Myla Lichtman Fields sings some of her original songs on her CDs, where she does the vocals, accompanying herself on guitar. Lichtman-Fields has also gained wide recognition as a playwright. Her plays have been produced by Equity and university theaters throughout the country. Steven Schorr, an attorney and counselor, doing work in appellate litigation, has published two books of poetry.

Ben Yehuda, Lichtman Fields and Schorr will present their original works during the first hour, followed by a half hour of open microphone where members of the audience are invited to read their poetry.

This season included an evening of student poets from two of the area’s Jewish Day Schools, Chabad Hebrew Academy and the San Diego Jewish Academy.  Three of the poems read at the March 18th evening exemplify the caliber of writing and creativity developed by the capable faculties at these Jewish day schools.

TRUTH LEADS TO THE RIGHTEOUS ROAD

By Ariana Eiseman
Chabad Hebrew Academy, 5th grade

Truth leads to the righteous road,
To success, it is the correct code.

A lie is a plant because it grows,
In the beginning, no one knows.

Danger soon arrives; it is a dark, bottomless pit,
You pray for a candle of hope to be lit.

Hope is a rope that pulls you out of a trap,
A bottle at the end, hope puts on a cap.

Safety is a splendid swing into a sphere,
Then your eyes don’t leak a weepy tear.

Tell a lie and you will go off the road of truth very fast,
To stay out of trouble, keep up with the truth and don’t be last.

 

A FOREVER TURNING CIRCLE
By Batya Boudjnah

Chabad Hebrew Academy, 5th grade

Trees covered in a white blanket
A vision of a valley and mountains dressed in white
Cold, dark, damp
Deep and pleasant

The smell of pine trees
Winter has come.
All of the colors are now gone.

A change from white to green
The flowers bloom
The white blankets melt
New buds have sprung
A lovely season, a spring with color, joy and smiles

Summer, a fruit platter waiting to get picked
The trees are colorful
Flowers have become sweet fruit
A season of salvation and rest

Fall, a wildfire of red, yellow, and orange leaves
Leaves fall upon the ground
The season is preparing itself
For a colorless winter yet again

Life is like the seasons too
Spring is life when you’re anew
Summer is your youth
Fall is when you start to age and become wise
Winter ends like a gentle stream whatever is frozen will flow on once more

Life is just that way, a circle that goes round and round
Forever turning.

 

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY POEM
By Rachel Rozenfeld
San Diego Jewish Academy, 12th grade

I am from Portland, Oregon,
The land of hippies, Voodoo doughnuts, and used book stores.
Home is where the heart is,
But now, home is in San Diego.

At two, I spoke Russian,
At three, English.
I was young when I started elementary school,
I was four
Not five or six,
But the young one.

At five, I danced.
I was in the ballroom dress.
Yes, me, Rachel, the princess,
The little girl with the perfect, tight bun,
The poofy, pink dresses.

At six, I played piano.
It’s a funny thing
Because I’m tone deaf.
When I sing, I sound like an animal in pain.
Both are definitely done for me now.

At age seven, my dad joined the Navy and moved to New York,
At eleven, he deployed to Afghanistan for seven months.
While affected, I am stronger, aware, and proud.
These things, while small events,
They were big in shaping who I am today.

In the summer of 2012,
I went to Jewish summer camp.
A part of me filled
And I finally felt truly Jewish,
Both spiritually and emotionally.

Now, I’m an athlete,
Now, I am in student government,
Now, I participate in fundraisers and school events.
I have learned to love myself and who I have become.

When I go onto the court,
I am the captain of my team,
Number sixteen, leading the pack.

When I go before my school,
I walk out with a sense of pride in my heart and a beaming smile on my face.
When I get put down,
I laugh it off and pick myself back up.

When someone is in need,
I help them before I help myself.
My favorite thing to do after school is put on paint,
Face paint, to be exact,

Blues and yellows,
Scream my heart out in support of my teams.
I have been told I’m not normal.
Mrs Gump says, “what’s normal anyways?”

While I’ve been told my life could be a soap opera,
Oh well, who would want to live a boring life?
My life is full of big smiles, loud laughs, solemn cries, and bear hugs.
I come towards everyone with open arms and an open heart.

My unbalanced five foot eight stature helps my presence.
In five months, I could be anywhere,
Texas, Italy, North Carolina, or even Japan?
What happens, happens.

I live for the moment,
Stopping to breathe in the fresh air and look around,
I love my life
‘Cause “mama always said life was like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you’re gonna get.”

*
Wingard is a freelance writer specializing in the arts.  She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com

 

 

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