Wheel of Fortune

Rosh Hashannah

I am not Jewish, but have always found much meaning and resonance in many of the traditional Jewish holidays. I have written this both for Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur, and as a tribute to Grandparent's Day.

I gather my family
in a storyteller's circle
beneath a massive oak
ancient, scarred, hung with moss.

In a storyteller's circle
for the days of awe
we listen and hear of heroes, helpers,
teachers, villains and a quest worth fighting for.

Beneath a massive oak
each tale slips inside the next
like Russian nesting dolls,
till there is only the essence of words

Ancient, scarred, hung with moss
hiding in the hollows of our tender hands,
tremulous butterflies awaiting release,
and then, migration.