• by Tiferet Welch

Zimri* and Cozbi*,

Death to the union of

Their Song of Lies

At the entrance of

The Home of the Holy.

A princess 

Paraded past elders,

As a trophy.

Without the 

Embrace of The Divine,

A woman lays,

Reduced to the realm

Of physical form,

Assuming the place

Of an Idol.

Sometimes,

Some things

Simply have to die.

Sometimes,

Some things

Cry out to be

Killed.

In the 7th century Rabbis codified 

The “Broken Vav”

In the centre of

The Shalom

Of the Brit.

Peace sliced in half;

The spine slashed.

Any narrative

Severed at its centre

Cannot withstand

The violence

Of two opposing sides.

Sometimes,

Only one story

Can be rewarded

Life following the razor’s edge

Of a bittersweet

Priestly Blessing. 

Whenever trauma

Breathes itself

Into art,

A deep healing

Can be found.

This poem is

Not yet

Complete.

————————————————————————————————————————

* Zimri means “my music”

*Cosbi means “a liar”.

• Posted in Ancestor Connections, Communal Tragedy
• antisemitism, Prague, Shoah

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