POEM: ‘Naming the Thirst’
when we are born
thirst makes us cry
thirst surges through our arteries
when the hormones hit
when we start to wither
our thirst actually increases
for the tongue of touch
the dictionary of rain
we remember we were once loved
it was love that kept us alive
**
Then every face
was like the face of God
each berry in the bucket
sweet to the taste
we were swifter than eagles
stronger than lions
when was this
it was in our dream
and when we wake
all gone but the thirst
**
if moments exist
when illusion dissipates like fog
do not say we are dreaming
we see past supermarket and traintracks
we dive off the high board
into the wind-whipped trenchcoat of a world
we eat flowers and mud
in mirth kissing our friends
then fog looms again
stinging and blinding our eyes
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
