Tuesday, April 5, 2016

dear leonard

i must admit i prefer
the earlier edition
of the book of mercy
the one with the jewish star
on the front
and purple.
not this pale one with the chops.

not that the language is changed,
but the language is changed.

it is somehow diminished.
perhaps, you might say,
it wasn’t by choice -
but we all make choices, don’t we?
we take pains to shape our legacy
and find our way home.

it’s not you
it’s me. somehow feeling betrayed,
i suppose. there are priests
on both sides, after all.
so why should this matter?

you still sing the same songs,
explore similar paths.
i might still find you
at the top of the mountain,
by a column of smoke by day
or a pillar of fire by night,
wearing a robe. or a robe.
or a suit and a jaunty hat.