Poetry Archives

I Christmas Poem for Nancy

Noel, Noel
We live and we die
Between heaven and hell
Between the earth and the sky
And all shall be well
And all shall be unwell
And once again! all shall once again!
                All shall be well
By the ringing and the swinging
                of the great beautiful holiday bell
Of Noel! Noel!

II Salute Valentine

I’ll drink to thee only with my eyes
When two are three and four,
And guzzle reality’s rise and cries
And praise the truth beyond surmise
When small shots shout: More! More! More! More!

III Rabbi to Preach

Rabbi Robert Raaba will preach
        on “An Eye for an Eye”
                        (an I for an I?)
(Two weeks from this week: “On the Sacred Would”)
At Temple Sholem on Lake Shore Drive
—Pavel Slavensky will chant the liturgical responses
And William Leon, having now thirteen years
        will thank his parents that he exists
To celebrate his birthday of manhood, his chocolate
Bar Mitzvah, his yum-yum kippered herring, his Russian
  Corona.